


broken crown

by Over_the_Love204



Series: To Build a Home [8]
Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood Sharing, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Genderswap, Horror, Love/Hate, Mentions of Non/Con, Romance, Violence, minor crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-27
Updated: 2013-09-07
Packaged: 2017-11-17 03:10:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 115,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/547001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Over_the_Love204/pseuds/Over_the_Love204
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stephanie Salvatore has been uprooted from her life in Mystic Falls - and thrust into the violent turbulance that is the Original Vampire, Klaus Mikaelson and his sister, Rebekah, all to save her brother's life.  While her friends and family in Mystic Falls scramble to find a way to bring her home, Stephanie reveals truths about her past that she might have rather kept hidden.  Meanwhile, things are stirring in Mystic Falls that will cause some of the greatest upheaval the small Virginia town has ever seen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums

**Author's Note:**

> Broken Crown is here! Thanks for waiting and I hope that everyone who read to build a home will love broken crown just as much, if not more. 
> 
> Disclaimer; I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes borrowed/modified.
> 
> Warnings for depictions of violence and likewise gruesome things you'd expect from this trio of bloodthirsty vampires. 
> 
> Also, blood sharing is defined, considering I had Klaus and Stephanie share blood before the show did it with Elena and Damon. It's a mix of the book and the TV definitions, because they're DIFFERENT. 
> 
> There's an author's note about that at the bottom of the chapter. Also, I recommend listening to the song the chapter is named after (counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of war drums) while you read the first part because it really helps put you into Stephanie's shoes. I've never listened to it before this, but a friend of mine recommended it and I knew that it was perfect for this chapter. I'll warn you, it's quite dark like the title suggests.
> 
> The second song (the quote from dark paradise by Lana Del Rey) is also fantastic to read during the balcony scene.

**counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of war drums**

 

_._

_._

_._

She felt disconnected from her body, like her mind was floating in between realities, and her motions were blurred through the hazy vision of bloodlust that was always haunting her. Her fangs slipped from beneath their sheaths in her gums easily now, and she avoided looking into the mirror to keep from seeing the monster that she was, to keep her from looking at those bloody lips and black eyes that preoccupied her nightmares.

The pounding in her head never ceased, always drumming and drumming, keeping her attention and making her mouth water and her stomach twist. She lost herself in it, keeping beat with the drums and letting them lead her to source that would temporarily relieve the burning desire in her for throat quenching blood.

But the beast was never sated for long.

When she found herself in this disoriented space there were always two others who she was never sure were anchoring her or were the ones that had set her adrift.

"That was fantastic, love," Klaus would whisper and Stephanie would shudder from disgust or pleasure (she could never tell which it was anyway).

Stephanie would look over the bodies and feel a sharp pang in her breast and like she was ghosting around a dream, she'd step forwards and with bloodstained fingers, pick up the body, dragging it over to the couch or other living space and set it up as if he was merely having a late night on the sofa with his family. Stephanie made sure it was situated perfectly and still and she scrambled back to where the head was sitting, vacant eyes staring emptily up at the ceiling.

Quickly, she reached for it and paused, staring transfixed at her blood encrusted fingernails. They were chipped and attached to red hands, which led to wet arms and sleeves, and her clothes stuck to her body because of the thick, sticky substance. Her entire body, it smelt like, was saturated with blood. She shook herself continued, picking up the head gently and carrying it over to the body and setting it right.

"Come on, Stephanie, we've other places to go before the evening is through," Nik's voice would say quietly, "Let's go."

If she didn't know any better, Stephanie would think that he was afraid of this side of her, the way she teetered from dangerously furious and deliriously happy to horrified with guilt and agony in the span of a single kill.

As it was, she knew that he liked it, loved it about her even.

Stephanie would forgo the outstretched hand as was ritual by then, and speed away with him into the dark depths of the witching hour. They'd go into the city and pretend to be debonair, getting into expensive parties and galas, enjoying themselves (well, Niklaus enjoyed himself while Stephanie floated in her in between space, not quite there, but far too close to reality to be able to live with herself) until the end of the night where they tagged teamed and murdered and drank their hosts. Sometimes Rebekah would join them in their hunts, but never in the games.

The games were what the Hybrid and his Ripper were known for.

When Stephanie forgot herself, forgot her brother and his doppelgänger and forgot her own love for a strong and passionate boy, she found herself entranced and emerged in this new (old) lifestyle. It was like slipping into an old coat that was well worn; it was comfortable and familiar, all too easy to remember and fall back into old patterns of blood and killing.

This was not to mention the all of the remembered sensations and feelings and emotions evoked from the mere presence of the two Original's; seeing Rebekah was like encountering an old friend and it painfully reminded her of Lexi and her visits. (She wondered how Lexi was; she hadn't heard from her since 2009 and probably wouldn't until this ten year jaunt was over to bring Stephanie back from the depths of hell. She might be too late this time.) Rebekah was older, of course, but she was like a sister in a way that Katherine had never been. She was a bitch and condescending and sarcastic to the bone, but there was a genuine promise of loyalty about her that Katherine had never had.

Niklaus was . . . Niklaus. He was the Original she remembered but changed in so many ways. It was like he was a split personality – there was Nik; the lover and friend, the one who was loyal and faithful, the one who was her equal, the one who made it rain blood with her as they walked down the street hand in hand. And then there was Klaus; the Hybrid, the monster who'd taken her brother and friends away, stolen her from her home through blackmail.

Both were murderers, but so was Stephanie, really.

They were playing a game of cat and mouse and it was undetermined who was who. Klaus went after Stephanie with the singled mindedness of a man on a mission, but she kept him at an arm's length that just kept shrinking and shrinking as the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months and summer was coming to an end.

July was coming to a close and the trio had journeyed up and down the Eastern Seaboard, leaving destruction in their paths. Klaus was intent to two things: making Stephanie realize she was his and creating a Hybrid army to protect the three of them from Mikael, so they'd be safe and never desert one of their own again.

The group was staying in Nashville in a hotel of the finest caliber, compelling to be so by Rebekah with just her wicked smile and a flick of her long blonde hair. (And a promise that would never be fulfilled, but the human behind the desk needn't know that bit quite yet.)

They had two rooms that were conjoining with a balcony that overlooked the busy city. Stephanie stood out on it, relishing in the cool night breeze as it swept through her, blowing her hair behind her face. The pounding of their neighbor's heart was a constant distraction, though, and more than once Stephanie felt her fangs bulging beneath her gums, ready to be unleashed in a moment's notice to feed on the unsuspecting victim.

"Enjoying the view, then?" Klaus drawled, "I had Bekah pick the hotel especially for you, because of the-"

"Apartment in Chicago," Stephanie murmured, "Yes, I remember."

She felt Klaus prod at her mind with his Power, something she knew that older and stronger vampires had the ability to do. Katherine had done it before, and Stephanie had overheard Elena remark about dreams that had centered on Damon and crows; Steph knew it not to be a coincidence, as the other girl thought.

Unbidden images of Jeremy flashed through Stephanie's mind; his smile and his laughter; his tears and cries. A knot formed in her stomach and she blinked her eyes hard.

"Would you come around faster if the boy was dead?"

The question was asked idly, but Stephanie flashed to Klaus, pushing him up against the brick wall of the hotel, fangs out and eyes black.

Lowly, she hissed, "You won't touch a single hair on Jeremy's head if you value your testicles." She put pressure with her knee on the area in question to make herself perfectly clear.

In seconds, Klaus had their positions reversed, knocking Stephanie's head against the brick and caging her in with his muscular arms and grabbing onto her wrists hard enough to bruise. Undesired images of Fredrick crossed Stephanie's mind and she sucked in a sharp breath, stilling on instinct. Klaus' face leant in close to hers and his breath on her cheek made Stephanie shiver.

"What was that; that image? Who was that man?" Klaus whispered into her ear. "Who was it that hurt you?"

"No one," Stephanie hissed and fruitlessly hoped that Klaus would drop it. But Nik never would.

"No," He whispered and released on her arms to free his hand, which he used to trace up to her shoulder, "He hurt you. I'll make him suffer; I'll make him bleed until he cries out for mercy but I won't give it to him."

"He's dead," Stephanie said, "He's dead and gone so forget about your perverse revenge fantasies." Klaus' eyes were alight with anger that only cooled minimally when Stephanie told him Fredrick had perished.

"Your brother killed him, I assume?"

Stephanie nodded once and Klaus' lip curled. "I guess he's not as useless as I'd thought," He said quietly with teasingly lilt to his voice.

Steph pressed her lips together in a firm line and turned to leave Klaus to himself on the balcony. Her hand lingered on the door hinge, and she turned her head to look back at the Hybrid, but he was already looking over the city, his eyes bright with future plans. Stephanie took her deft fingers off of the door and stepped over the threshold to her and Rebekah's room, sliding the door shut to the balcony.

"Tired of my brother's company already?"

Steph lifted her head and saw Rebekah lounging on her bed that was closest to the door that led to the hotel hallway. Her blonde hair hung around her shoulders and her hands were knitted together behind her head, where it rested on the fluffy feather pillow at her headboard.

"A bit," Stephanie said with a wry twist of her lips, but said no more as she closed the curtains until they shielded the balcony from the pastel colored room so she could strip to her nightclothes.

"Go easy on him," Rebekah called teasingly, "He hasn't tried to woo a woman for decades. Longer, even, considering the first time you two met was in 1897. After that, we always met when you were off the wagon, so to speak, and you were more inclined to love a man like Niklaus."

"I don't want him to woo me," Stephanie said, eyebrows pulling together in a frown, despite the sharp pang in her that did want the older man's affections. "I love Jeremy," She said clearly, arms folding defensively across her chest.

"But will he love you if he ever finds out about our adventures?" Rebekah asked mockingly.

"Yes," Stephanie snapped, but thought about it for a moment more. Jeremy had never really seen her off the rails: he'd only seen her, to use Damon's description, 'spayed vampire side.' It was crude, but unfortunately very accurate.

Rebekah smiled victoriously, as if she'd peaked into Stephanie's mind. (And she well could have, Steph admitted to herself grudgingly.)

"See?" Rebekah asked, her voice softening, "You know it, Steph. Jeremy's a young human who is doubtlessly furious about the loss of his sister. Who's there to blame besides the vampire that came to Mystic Falls and ultimately leading Klaus to their town?" Except Elena wasn't dead, Stephanie thought and tried to keep a poker face.

"You're wrong," Was all Stephanie said.

"I'm really not," Rebekah told her quietly. "What's left for you in Mystic Falls after that? Your friend is dead, your brother and your boyfriend are probably furious and upset about that; they're not likely to be good company."

"But they're still mine," Stephanie muttered.

"But you're ours," Rebekah said flatly, rising from the bed, "You're my friend and Klaus' lover. We have claim to you too."

Stephanie said nothing and merely pursed her lips. The neighbors' heartbeats shattered her concentration and she twitched, wanting to make her teeth pierce their necks and bleed them dry and bathe in their blood. Her fingers clenched into fists and she closed her eyes and tried counting backwards to regain some control.

Rebekah intervened. "Hungry?"

And Stephanie felt herself nodding her head.

"Of course," Rebekah said, "You're always hungry, aren't you Stephanie?" Steph opened her eyes and offered little resistance when the taller girl grabbed her hand and led her from the hotel room and down the hall and the staircase. Finally, they were out of the stifling building and Stephanie took a deep breath, only to smell more blood.

Rebekah sent her an amused glance. "Let's go to a club, shall we? There will be a lot people to choose from there."

Steph frowned. "And most of those people will be drunk or high."

Rebekah rolled her eyes and drug Stephanie away despite her protests. "You never stop complaining, do you? You have the worst case of depression I've ever seen. Ever heard of Prozac?"

Stephanie didn't bother with a response as they entered a bar. Her quick green eyes swept the place for her victim and they landed on a young blonde man, but Rebekah tugged her away.

"That one," Rebekah whispered into Stephanie's ear and the latter winced. The boy was tall with light brown hair and matching eyes; he looked like mocking version of Jeremy, but Stephanie knew that was why Rebekah had chosen him.

"No," Stephanie said quietly, "I've already got someone picked out."

"You're going to get that one," Rebekah glared, "Or I'll tell Nik to go back to Mystic Falls to kill your little ex-boyfriend."

Stephanie swallowed and said dryly, "If that's your way of trying to endear me to you, it needs a little work." But she went anyway. Rebekah and Klaus knew that the one sure way to get Stephanie do to anything was to mention Jeremy or Damon.

She walked up to the boy and fluttered her lashes, gently brushing passed him on her way to the bar. Stephanie knew his interested had been peaked and he followed her as she sat down on a stool.

"Hey," He grinned, "I'm Jack."

"Stephanie," She replied with a leering grin.

"How about we get out of here?" Jack smirked, "I'm on my way to a frat party and I need a date."

"Sure," Stephanie said easily and slid out of the stool and took Jack's hand. He led her out of the bar and Rebekah gave Steph a wink before turning back to her own victim.

"Who was your friend?" Jack asked.

"Of friend of mine," Stephanie said vaguely and as they passed an alley in between bars, lunged for Jack's exposed neck.

"What the hell?" He shouted, surprised and wary. His arms pin wheeled until Stephanie shoved him up against the brick alley wall and tore into his neck. Jack screamed until his Stephanie ripped his head off.

"I don't understand why Niklaus finds that attractive," Rebekah drawled from the mouth of the alley and Stephanie came back to herself and righted the body and set the head back on gently. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and gave no answer to Rebekah besides a shrug; she had no idea what perverse pleasure Klaus derived from one of Steph's more horrific habits.

She could remember Nik and her killing for pleasure and then sharing blood afterwards. Blood sharing was intimate to vampires; it was an extremely personal act that was performed between lovers as a form of romantic bonding and was the equivalent of making love.

Stephanie and Rebekah flashed back to the hotel as the sun started to rise and both entered their hotel room quietly. Steph couldn't hear Klaus, but that didn't mean he wasn't in his room somewhere. The heartbeats of their neighbors were still distracting, but not to the point of a painful disturbance. She stripped into her nightclothes and slipped into her bed.

She clothes her eyes and saw her victims' faces flash before her eyes and wished that she could just shut off her emotions; but she knew that if she thought herself a monster now, then she'd truly be a demon if she let herself go out there and kill with no remorse at all.

* * *

Morning came and Stephanie woke up to Klaus' breath on her cheek. Her eyes flew open, surprised, and she glared at the Hybrid's amused smile. The bed was large and luxurious, but Klaus had put as little space between them as physically possible.

"Good morning, love," He murmured with half lidded eyes.

"Go to hell," She hissed.

"Only if you pave the way, darling," Klaus grinned.

"Please, leave off your marital spats until we've all woken up at a decent hour," Rebekah groaned but she rose from her bed anyway, glaring at the other two before heading to the bathroom.

"It's not a marital spat," Stephanie denied, "He's not my husband, we're not married, and we're never going to be married."

"I don't really believe in that institution of marriage anyway," Klaus smirked, "It really fits if we live in sin anyway, don't you think?" Stephanie rolled her eyes and jumped out of the bed and Klaus whistled appreciatively. "You've lovely legs for such a small woman, love."

Steph blushed furiously and quickly shoved a pair of jeans onto her hips, pulling them up and buttoning quickly. She reached for her bra and shirt and glared at Klaus.

"Get out."

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," He drawled with a twinkle in his eye and he settled back onto the bed, exposing his less than decently dressed self.

Stephanie glowered.

"For the love of – Nik just leave the room," Rebekah snapped as her head came into view from around the corner of the bathroom, "She's bound to give in to your wily charms sooner or later, so you might as well have some patience." Stephanie choked but Rebekah's words had done the trick; Klaus smirked and waved, disappearing from the room as if he was a ghost.

Stephanie quickly clothed herself and left her hair down. She was driven to distraction as she and Rebekah packed their bags by their neighbors once more, and trying to ignore their heart beats was fruitless. Klaus met them in front of the hotel in a flashy blood red sports car; it did nothing for Stephanie's growing hunger and by Klaus' look, he knew it too.

"Get in ladies," Klaus called with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Where are we going?" Rebekah asked as she slipped into the back and put all of their bags in beside her, forcing Stephanie to sit up front unless he wanted to ride in Rebekah's lap.

"Werewolf hunting."


	2. i'm in too deep and the wheels keep spinnin' round

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She's a caged animal
> 
> London by night
> 
> Crashing lights and cymbals
> 
> Queens of Twilight  
> And if I was you
> 
> I'd use the loo before the long drive
> 
> We complement each other
> 
> Just like Satan and Christ."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, here we are! I apologize for the long wait and that this is bit shorter than usual. What happened about the length was that it got too long to add another episode, but it's still a bit short for one chapter.
> 
> Also, as for being late, I've had ridiculous amounts of homework and studying to do, as well as this past weekend being my birthday.
> 
> If you're sticking around for the rest of the sequel after the first chapter, I'm glad! Thanks for the reviews, favorite's, and story alerts! They're all wonderful and please continue to leave fantastic reviews; they keep me excited about the story and sometimes give me ideas to add in.
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotations borrowed/modified

It was dark.

One could scarcely see the moon overhead in the night and all was quiet except for the crickets and Stephanie's ragged breathing. She and Rebekah stood tense and still under the cover of the forest as Klaus darted away with a roguish grin and lavish wink. The situation was serious but Stephanie felt a flash of amusement stirring within her despite her twisted and confused feelings for him.

The home Klaus was headed towards was a large, white and expansive farm house with the lights still on for visiting friends. Stephanie heard the door creak open and the following footsteps of a young adult woman in high heeled boots. She called for seemed to be a pet of some kind, most likely a dog that had ran off after a squirrel or a raccoon.

Klaus made his presence known to the woman and Stephanie trembled when she heard the human's heartbeat skyrocket. Rebekah put a restraining manicured hand onto Stephanie's arm and a silencing finger over her lips. Steph turned her attention back to Klaus; he'd led the woman back towards the house with some cock and bull story he pulled out of thin air with a surprisingly good America accent. He was invited inside.

"Alright," Rebekah let go of Stephanie's arm and the younger vampire needed no encouragement to flash to the front door and wait on the porch. She heard hear Klaus threatening the women inside and gathered from the conversation that the werewolf they were hunting was gone, but knew that that wouldn't save the humans; if anything, it condemned them.

Running feet headed in her direction and the front door flew open, only for the woman to stumble backwards a little. Klaus' delighted drawling voice told Stephanie that he'd joined them in the foyer.

"I just love it they run," He crooned and Stephanie's eyes fell to where the Hybrid had placed a guiding hand on the blonde woman's back. Klaus saw her glance and he chuckled quietly, but thankfully said nothing.

The dark skinned woman's eyes searched Stephanie's and the vampire wondered what she'd see there; an ally in a fellow woman; remorse; guilt? Or would she see the pleasure Stephanie was deriving from the game they were playing? Would she see the hunger and the bloodlust that occupied Steph's every waking thought?

Whatever it was that she saw, it wasn't what the woman had wanted to see; the human seemed to deflate and she shakily turned back to Klaus and voice quivering, said, "He's in Talley. It's near the border; he'll be in a bar called _Southern Comforts."_

"Thank you, dear," Klaus said and he walked the blonde over to the front door and turned to face her, murmuring, "Can my girlfriend come inside?"

"Yes," The blonde choked and Stephanie felt the barrier go down. She stepped over the threshold and felt her foots click quietly on the hard wood floor of the furnished foyer. The down shut softly behind her and sealed the women's fates.

Klaus shoved the blonde at Stephanie, who steadied the woman and held her wrists in a vice like grip. "Kill this one quickly, love." And then his eyes went to the darks skinned woman who'd ran, "Make that one suffer." He walked passed Steph and the blonde and blocked the door so the other woman wouldn't escape.

"Please, no," The blonde woman whimpered, "Please just let me go. I won't – I won't tell anyone what happened, I swear." Stephanie kept her face unreadable as her fangs slipped from their sheaths in her gums and her face transformed; black eyes and spidery veins crawling down her cheeks.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go," Stephanie murmured and faster than lightening, she dove for her neck and savaged it, relishing in the screams of both of the women. She could almost hear Nik grinning behind her and she licked the blood off of her lips as it dripped down her chin.

* * *

Jeremy woke up to bright sunlight in his eyes and Elena shaking his shoulder.

"Go 'way; it's early," He mumbled.

"No, it's not, you're late for work. Matt just called," Elena said and Jeremy peeked through half lidded eyes at his sister. She looked to be either in her sleep wear or running outfit but he was too drowsy to tell.

Jeremy groaned and reached over to his side table and saw the time on this cell phone. "Maybe he'll fire me," He muttered half optimistically.

Elena snorted as she left his room and called back, "Aim high."

"Rise and shine," A voice crooned in his ear and Jeremy turned over in his bed to glare at the girl sitting at the foot of it.

"Why are you here, Anna?" Jeremy asked quietly with furrowed brows, "You're supposed to be dead, yet you've kept popping up in my house all summer."

"Your sister's boyfriend is dead, along with half the town," Anna said with an arched eyebrow, "You believe in vampires, werewolves, hybrids, and witches, but not ghosts? Hypocrite."

"Seriously?" Jeremy snapped as he sat up, "Get the hell out of my room, Anna. I'm really not in the mood for this today." His eyes darted to the open bedroom door, but she could hear Elena jogging down the stairs, chattering with someone on the telephone.

"Why?" Anna asked and Jeremy got up, ignoring Anna's ghost as he floated around his own bedroom, finding some jeans and a shirt to wear.

"Because you or someone else is here all the time, bugging me," Jeremy muttered under his breath, really quite tired of all of the conversations he'd had with ghosts for the whole summer.

"So, when are you going to tell everybody about seeing me and your other ghost-y friends?" Anna asked and while her voice sounded idle, her eyes were sharp.

"I was hoping you'd all go away," Jeremy sighed and he pulled on some socks as he sent the dead vampire a dry look.

"Well, that's not working," She threw herself onto his bedspread, "Maybe you should tell Bonnie; she is the one that brought you back from the dead."

"Definitely not," Jeremy muttered slipped on his shoes and started to lace them.

"Damon?"

"I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Alaric?"

"Go away, Anna." The ghost gave a gusty sigh but disappeared instantaneously despite her reluctance. Jeremy heaved a sigh of relief and turned to face the door.

"Jeremy . . ." Vicki drawled and the boy sighed gruffly and heaved his backpack onto his shoulder like a shield.

"I don't want any ghost company today, Vicki," He growled, "Go away and tell them all so stay away." He grabbed the stake in his underwear drawer and stuck it in the side pocket of his backpack.

"You're not any fun," The former vampire pouted and popped away in any case, while Jeremy hurried out of his bedroom before anyone could find him seemingly talking to himself. He passed Elena's door to find it shut firmly and wondered if that meant Damon was there or if Elena was gone. He couldn't tell anymore.

"Jeremy."

His steps faltered on the stairs and his eyes swept the hallway behind him and the foyer below him. There was no one there and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. His right hand slowly reached towards the stake he'd packed and while he saw nothing, it meant little in their town.

"Jere?" He turned and saw Rick looking at him as he stood at the foot of the couch in their living room, folding up the quilts and pillows he'd been borrowing. Relieved, Jeremy slid the stake back into his bag.

"I'm on my way to work, Rick, I'll see you later," He waved off handedly and hurried away before Alaric could say anything else. Jeremy slipped out the front door and walked down the block and paused at a stop sign where a blue Camaro was sitting. Behind the front wheel was Damon in his leather jacket and sunglasses perched on his nose.

"Took you long enough," Damon complained as he rolled down the passenger window, "Get the hell in the car before drive off without you; I've got a lead."

Jeremy slipped in the passenger side and stuffed his backpack of supplies in the back seat. "What have you heard?"

"Liz called me and said that there was an animal attack in Memphis," Damon said flatly, "But it was brutal in an old farmhouse with a deadbolt on the front door; I doubt a wild dog managed to unlock it and mangle up the women and then shut the door politely behind him."

"So, we're going to Memphis?"

"No, we're going to Utah," Damon dead panned before rolling his eyes, "Of course we're going to Memphis."

"Did you tell Elena? Because she wasn't acting like she knew," Jeremy said carefully. He pulled out his phone and texted Matt so that other boy would know he wouldn't be into work that day.

"No, but Alaric is on site and keeping an eye on her," Damon said as he tilted his head to the side and then he slid Jeremy a sidelong glance, "We'll be back for her birthday party."

Jeremy nodded and hoped that he and Damon would find something besides another dead end. They drove quite a ways before coming up to a large area of land full of flat fields and towering trees. A white fence ran around the property and the center sat a beautiful two story, white farmhouse with what looked to be an attic.

Damon's phone rang and he looked at it and quickly pressed the silent button when he saw it was Elena.

"My sister?" Jeremy asked quietly.

"Uh huh," Damon replied as he eyes roved over the house.

"Why don't we just tell her where we are?" Jeremy asked after an uncomfortable moment.

"Liz says this is half lead," Damon admitted.

"It doesn't mean it might not be them," Jeremy pointed out firmly.

Damon rolled his eyes. "You're getting your hopes up, just like I don't want you or Elena or Barbie to." They stood in the front yard for a momenta and Damon stretched out his senses.

Jeremy said what he was thinking. "It's quiet."

Damon agreed. "Too quiet." He led the way into the house and pushed the door open quietly. The foyer was a wreck and it only got worse the farther inside the house they got.

He heard Jeremy's muffled gasp when they saw the bloody smears on the walls, but Damon said nothing. They arrived into the living room and saw two women's bodies sitting on the sofa, and were set up as if watching a movie together. One would almost believe it too; except they were bloody with their eyes gazing emptily on the far wall.

"I'm going to be sick," Jeremy muttered, "This was definitely the work of vampires."

Damon scoffed and corrected, "This is definitely Stephanie's work." He stepped through the living room and walked towards the bodies.

"How do you know?" Jeremy asked in Steph's defense.

"It's her signature," Damon explained clinically, "There's a reason she was called the Ripper, you know. She'd feed so hard that she'd black out rip the bodies apart. When she's done, she'll feel remorse." He stepped over the mangled bits of a remaining coffee table and nudged a body with his toe. A head rolled off and Jeremy gagged. "It's the dammed thing; she puts the bodies back together like a jigsaw puzzle."

Damon didn't bother to turn to look back at Jeremy, but he knew what the human was bound to be feeling; horror and disgust. "Yeah, definitely Steph," Damon said wryly, but anxiety was creeping up into him, as well. Ripper Stephanie was dangerous when contained, but let loose like Klaus was obviously encouraging her? It was nightmarish.

* * *

Rebekah walked side by side Stephanie and eyed the bar they'd been in for around half an hour with severe distaste; it was a little Tennessee bar, homey and nice to some, but to her, it was cramped and smelled like sweaty men. Her blue orbs shifted to look at Stephanie, who was walking a little closer to Nik that afternoon. Both of the women had their hair up into sleek ponytails, exposing their pale faces, slim necks and delicate cheek bones. Rebekah could even see a pretty green rose bloom tattoo on the back of Stephanie's neck that seemed new. Nik bade them a brief farewell and he walked smoothly up to the werewolf they suspected was Ray.

"I want to go shopping as soon as this is done," Rebekah sniffed daintily and eyed her footwear that suited to the area they were in, but was not her usual style. "You're going to come with me."

"Alright," Stephanie agreed quietly but Rebekah could see her attention was held elsewhere. The blonde frowned.

"Is there something bothering you?"

Stephanie didn't look at her. "It's Elena's birthday today. She'll be . . . she'd have been eighteen."

Not sorry the doppelgänger was dead, but feeling a little sentimental for her friend, Rebekah took the other girl's small hand and squeezed reassuringly.

Steph looked at her, surprise written across her features as Rebekah said awkwardly, "I'm sure . . . that her family is doing something . . . respectful for her; to remember good times . . . and to celebrate her memory."

"Thanks," Stephanie murmured and to Rebekah's pleasure, seemed to have lightened up a little. Nik gave them the signal, and they walked over to him and the werewolf, Ray.

He was trying to leave the establishment and Stephanie stepped in front on him and quietly said, "I wouldn't do that, if I were you." She easily pushed him until his back was tensed up against the bar and Steph's hand rested just above Ray's belly button, holding him in place.

Nervously, Ray stuttered out, "Vampires."

"Very good; do you think he deserves a prize?" Rebekah drawled as she meandered up to them and gave Ray a smirk.

"Well, he's almost correct," Nik said with a twinkle in his eye, "My sister is a vampire; say hello, Rebekah." He inclined his head towards her.

Rebekah gave a dainty wave, "Pleasure."

"And my lover, Stephanie, is a vampire as well," Nik said with a grin and watched as Ray swallowed thickly, "She's compelled everyone in the bar, so don't bother looking for any assistance from them. I am something else entirely, though." He locked eyes with Ray. "I'm a different sort of monster. I've got some vampire and I've got some 'wolf; makes for an interesting combination, if I may say so myself."

"What?" Ray gasped and his eyes widened in fear.

"A Hybrid, Ray," Nik clarified simply with a hard voice, "I'm both. And I want to create more of me." He grinned. "You being the first werewolf I've come across Ray, in many a moon, pun intended there, I need you to direct me to your pack. So, where are they, Ray?"

"You can't compel me," Ray said a little stronger, "It won't work."

Nik traded looks with Stephanie and Rebekah saw her tilt her head in response, bringing a finger up to touch her temple. Rebekah recognized the exchange a little as something between the two of them in their hunting games, but couldn't decipher what they meant.

Steph turned to the bar tender and called, "I need a Scotch on the rocks, please." She pulled out a small, thick leather bag and she turned to the werewolf. "Tell you what, Ray; we're going to play a little drinking game. Something I like to call _Truth or Wolfsbane._ " She emptied a little of the purple plant into the palm of her hand and held up one of the leaves.

"Oh, this is going to be good, Ray," Nik smirked and settled into a seat and Rebekah followed suit.

"You'll see," Rebekah added with a grin, "Steph's a fantastic negotiator."

* * *

Damon left the room but Jeremy couldn't take his eyes off of the bodies. The room was in carnage, just like the front hall, proof of everything that had happened the night previous, but he could scarcely believe that Stephanie done this. Damon swore up and down it was her trademark and Jeremy supposed he'd know, but . . . he bit his lip. Jeremy knew that Steph had a spotty past, but he hadn't thought it was this bad.

He hadn't thought she could be this cruel.

Damon blundered back in with a propane tank and he started to pour oil onto the women's bodies. "God, what are you doing?" Jeremy demanded, aghast as he looked at Damon with wide eyes.

Damon continued, but explained, "I'm covering their tracks. They have no interest in staying in the dark, but I do." He stepped around and froze when they both heard a hollow thump.

"Wait a second," Jeremy muttered and he motioned for Damon to move, which the vampire did only reluctantly. Jeremy stooped down and rolled up a corner of the throw rug, revealing a square hatch.

They both hunkered down and Jeremy opened it and they looked at the hidden room below the living room; it was full of chains and other strong bindings.

"Well, what do you know?" Damon drawled, "Werewolves." They shut it back up and Jeremy walked over to stand in the foyer while Damon lit a match and tossed it into a puddle of oil. The fire spread and the two men quickly vacated the house together, heading towards Damon's blue Camaro.

* * *

Klaus was lounging in a chair next to Rebekah as they watched the procession; Ray was chained up to the dartboard and the entirety of his front shirt was drenched in blood and sweat, while Stephanie stood back quite a ways with a handful of darts and wolfsbane. She let another one soar and it hit Ray dead on the forehead, making blood drip down his temple and he grunted harshly against the pain that hit him.

Stephanie stirred the next dart in the wolfsbane laced glass of Scotch and she sashayed back to her throwing spot. She used her vampiric speed to toss the dart and it landed in Ray's chest, making him roar and rattle his chains.

"Ray, sweetie," Stephanie said softly as she walked up close to the werewolf. Her expression expressed genuine remorse, but Klaus knew it was an act on her part; she enjoyed this, he could tell, because of the sparkle in her sharp green eyes. "You can stop this," She continued, "just tell me where your pack is going to be hiding out this full moon." Stephanie pulled a dart out of Ray's neck quickly and he winced.

"I can't," Ray finally choked.

"I know, I know," Steph crooned, "werewolf code and all that . . . but see," Her voice turned cold as the icy tundra in the dead of winter, "he's not going to let me stop until you tell me where they are. And I don't really want to stop until he tells me to, so," She pursed her lips.

A dark headed woman walked up to Klaus and Rebekah and turned to look at her as she spoke of news she had for him. Stephanie didn't take her eyes off of Ray, but she tilted her head and stiffened at the mention of Damon.

She flitted from the dartboard over to Rebekah and Klaus' seats and she said flatly, "My brother's still on our trail."

"He's getting closer," Klaus said pointedly, "I'm going to have to have to take care of that."

"Let me handle it," Stephanie said quickly as a flash of fear for her brother's life flew through her. Her hand flew out to catch Klaus' arm, squeezing it, making Klaus eye her with an arched brow.

"And why should I let you go, love?"

"Because you know that I'll come back," Steph said evenly and her gaze locked onto Klaus'.

"Do I?" Klaus asked, headed tilted and his lip curled.

"You saved my brother's life," Stephanie said but saw that he wasn't still convinced. Her nostrils flared, "And . . . since you've had me remember everything, I've come to . . . accept some of it."

An indiscernible look crossed Klaus' face. "Really?"

"Yes," Stephanie said quietly and she tilted up her head and she stepped closer to the Hybrid. Her lips ghosted over his for a moment that seemed to suspend them in time until Steph stepped back. Her green eyes looked over at Klaus sharply and she saw him grinning. "I'll make sure my brother doesn't bother us anymore," Stephanie promised him and Klaus looked her with intense blue eyes.

Finally, he murmured, "See that you do. And hurry back, love; we've things to discuss."

Rebekah yawned dramatically from her chair, interrupting them as she unfolded her legs and announced, "This place is boring me to tears, Nik. I think I'll go with Stephanie to say hello to Big Brother. It has to be more fun than sitting in his disgusting bar."

"Have fun, then, ladies," Klaus winked as he stepped backwards towards Ray. Stephanie and Rebekah left together and the former shot a glance back at Klaus' thoughtful face. She turned back and looked at Rebekah and wondered how she'd keep the vampire from finding out Elena was still alive.

* * *

Jeremy's fingers tapped in a rhythm on his thighs anxiously and tried to keep from letting his gaze wander to the back of the car. Night was falling and Damon and he were only a few minutes out of Mystic Falls. Trees and streets signs flashed passed Jeremy's window quickly, blurring in his vision.

"Why do you keep looking in the backseat?" Damon's dry and suspicious voice snapped Jeremy out of his reverie.

"I'm not looking at the back seat," Jeremy denied quickly and his eyes shot forwards, determined not to make contact.

"Damon Salvatore can tell when you're lying," Anna drawled from her place sprawled out in the backseat.

"I can tell when you're lying," Damon snapped and Jeremy's face pinched. "So what the hell's been going on for the entire summer? Elena can tell something's wrong too, you know."

"Are you trying to be parental or something?" Jeremy asked skeptically, trying to divert Damon away from the line of questioning.

"Never," Damon swore and then bared his teeth, "Don't try and distract me." They flew passed the WELCOME TO MYSTIC FALLS town limit sign and Jeremy's fingers kneaded into his thighs.

"Just tell him," Logan Fell said dryly as he joined Anna in the backseat, "It can't get any worse."

"Really," Anna nodded and eyed Logan distastefully.

"Are you even listening to me?" Damon demanded and he glared at Jeremy.

"Eyes on the road and I promise to tell you," Jeremy said quickly and to his relief, Damon's gaze went back to the expanse of gravel in front of them once more.

"I'd never crash the car, you know," Damon pointed out; pride stung, "Vampire reflexes and night vision, here. And I'm a fantastic driver."

Jeremy pinched the bridge of his nose with his right hand, but the fingers on his left were twisting and twitching nervously. He sighed when he realized he'd picked up one of Stephanie's habits and then a pang stabbed his heart at the remembrance of her absence.

"I'm waiting," Damon sang but there was a warning note is his voice.

"Since Bonnie . . . brought me back from the dead," Jeremy started stutteringly, "I've . . ."

"You've . . . come on, spit it out," Damon rolled his eyes and Jeremy spotted the Mystic Grill as they passed it up.

"I've been seeing ghosts of people I knew," Jeremy said quickly and the car screeched to a halt right outside of the post office. Damon's head slowly turned in his direction and the vampire's eyes were narrowed.

"You've been seeing ghosts all summer," He said flatly.

"Yes," Jeremy replied hesitantly.

"Who?"

"Just . . . people," Jeremy shrugged uncomfortably.

"'Just people?'" Damon asked incredulously, glaring, "People like who?"

"Anna and Vicki. Logan Fell. Other dead people like that," Jeremy said and Damon twitched violently.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Damon asked dangerously, "That's kind of important, you know, seeing dead people and all."

"I was hoping they'd go away," Jeremy said blithely and winced when Damon growled and restarted the car. "Please don't tell Elena."

"Oh, I'm not going to tell her," Damon said easily.

"Thanks," Jeremy replied, relieved.

"Tonight, anyway," Damon replied and sent Jeremy a look, "It's her eighteen birthday after all. I'm not going to ruin it with knowledge that she should have had at the beginning of the summer."

"Hey, you're keeping secrets too," Jeremy said flatly, "What about Stephanie? You're not telling either of her best friends about these leads to find Stephanie."

"That's different," Damon hissed and would say no more about it as they'd arrived at the Boarding House. There were cars parked everywhere and the music had already been started by someone. A few people were milling around and Damon rolled his eyes as he slipped out of the car. "I'm going to find Elena. Try to keep the kids from my good Bourbon, okay?" He disappeared and Jeremy walked inside the house to find it full to the brim with other high school students.

He passed a couple of giggling girls.

"This is just like in _Breaking Dawn_ when they have the graduation party, remember? It's the first time they went to their huge house, like this, and . . ."

Jeremy hurried passed the girls and their too close to the truth theories. He saw a vase trembling and he rushed over to keep it from falling, catching it just in time. The couple who'd knocked into it barely gave Jeremy a glance and continued in their search for a room to make out or have sex in.

"Oh, no, no, no, don't drink that," Jeremy rushed over to a girl who'd grabbed a bottle of Damon's favorite bourbon and snatched it out of her hands.

She glared and put a hand on her hip. "Excuse me."

"This belongs to the owner of the house and he'll be pissed if you drink it," Jeremy explained.

"That's right," Damon drawled, appearing out of nowhere and making the girl jump and turn towards him. Damon had an arm wrapped around Elena and he compelled the girl about to take a drink from his stash, " _You don't want this; you want the cheap stuff over by the cheap young people."_

The girl nodded and started off. Elena smacked Damon lightly on the shoulder.

"Damon," She admonished.

"She was stealing," Damon grumbled.

Jeremy shifted on his feet, eyeing the crowd uncomfortably when Caroline bounded up to the three of them. She beamed at Elena and asked her, "Do you like it? Wait – don't answer that."

Jeremy turned his head to see that Elena was overwhelmed and her next words proved it, "This is keeping it small?" Caroline continued to beam and Jeremy saw Elena waver and sigh. "What are we drinking?" She asked, resigned and Caroline squealed, leading the other girl away in arms.

Jeremy ducked out of Damon's line of sight and found a room that branched off of the long hallway. He fingered something in his pocket and looked up to see Anna glowering disapprovingly.

"Don't," He warned and the ghost popped out of existence. He sat down on the cough and pulled a pre-rolled hit of marijuana out of his pocket.

"Where'd you get that?"

Jeremy's heart raced and he looked up, but it was only Matt. The other boy sat down next to him and eyed Jeremy with curiosity. "Henry, you know Henry, right? He sold me some after school," Jeremy said easily and wordlessly offered Matt a joint. The blonde took it easily enough and they lit up.

"So, what's got you on your spiral downwards today?" Matt asked and took a hit.

"Damon and I found a lead on Steph," Jeremy said quietly and breathed in and blew out a ring of smoke.

"I take it didn't go well?" Matt asked with raised eyebrows.

"She's on some kind of blood binge because of Klaus," Jeremy spat out the Hybrid's name like it was venom on his tongue.

"That's certainly more interesting than mine," Matt agreed and took another hit. Jeremy wondered what the other human would say if he knew that Jeremy was also seeing ghosts, including his sister.

Maybe it was the pot or something else, but Jeremy took a chance. He leant in closet o Matt, "You know I died, right? Bonnie used magic to bring me back to life?"

"Yeah, Elena told me," Matt nodded.

"I've been seeing . . . things . . . ever since I got back," Jeremy said quietly.

"That's gotta be hell on top of your girlfriend problems," Matt said sympathetically and then tilted his head, "What kinds of things are we talking about, though?"

"Just . . . things I shouldn't be seeing," Jeremy said, the pot not giving him enough courage to admit that.

"Well, what has Bonnie said?"

"I didn't tell her," Jeremy admitted, "I haven't told anyone except for you and earlier Damon weeded it out of me. But it's all messing with my head and driving me crazy."

"So you needed to chill out," Matt finished, nodding, "Well, good luck, man." He clapped Jeremy on the knee and disappeared in the throng of people.

Jeremy melted back into the chair and closed his eyes, wishing for silence.

His phone buzzed a familiar tone and Jeremy jackhammered up and scrambled for his pocket. He pulled out the phone and quickly ran out of the house, shoving passed people until he got into the deserted backyard.

Stephanie's name was flashing on his phone.

"Steph? Steph, is that you? Come on, answer, please," Jeremy begged but he heard the dial tone. He sagged to the ground and closed his eyes, only to feel cool fingers caressing the back of his neck. Jeremy turned his head and saw Stephanie's pale face and dark ringlets. His eyes hungrily took in the sight of her, drinking in her appearance like a man dying of thirst. She looked the same, almost, but there were glaring differences that seemed to beam brightly like a beacon.

Her hair was longer and her green eyes were ringed in black and the beginnings of startling black veins were crawling underneath her eyes. Her clothes were form fitting, revealing curves and making Jeremy miss her even more.

"Stephanie," Jeremy breathed. Over her shoulder he could see a blonde haired woman – Rebekah.

"Sh," Steph murmured and with a twist of her wrist, he passed out at her feet.

* * *

When he woke up, Jeremy didn't know where he was. His head was pounding in his skull and he raised a hand to feel the back of his neck. He felt a large goose egg and pulled his hand away to reveal bloody fingers. Jeremy got to his feet unsteadily.

"Steph? What's going on? What are you doing?"

"Oh, shut up," An accented voice called and Rebekah sashayed over to his side with a grimace, "You're too much trouble than you're worth, you know."

"Where's Stephanie?" Jeremy demanded as he backed away from the Original vampire. A slow smirk curled onto her lips.

Jeremy felt cool breath on his ear and he spun to find Steph behind him, her face closed off. It was like a blow to his stomach; Stephanie was one to wear her heart on her sleeve. "Steph? Thank God; we've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Give us a minute, Rebekah," Stephanie said quietly, not taking her eyes off of Jeremy. He heard the other vampire huff, but soon she was gone, her heels clicking on the tiles floor.

"Where are we?" Jeremy asked when she was gone, "Why are you doing this? What's going on?"

"We're in the news studio," Stephanie said quietly, eyes on Jeremy's.

"Why?"

"It's . . . neutral," Stephanie said.

"Okay, it's neutral, whatever that means. Why is Rebekah back here? She'll tell Klaus Elena's still alive," Jeremy hissed, waving a hand.

Stephanie replied emotionlessly, "I kept her away from Elena; your sister's safe as long as she stays at her party."

Jeremy felt the blood drain from his face. He repeated, "What's going on?"

"You need to stop following me," Stephanie evaded coolly, "You and Damon need to stop trying to find me."

"Aw, come on, you don't write, you don't call. How else are we supposed to get in touch?" Jeremy spun around and saw Damon lazily walking into the studio, hands in his pants pockets.

"Brother," Stephanie said.

"Little sister," Damon replied and Rebekah appeared at his shoulder.

"Look who I found lurking around," She smirked and Jeremy felt a sliver of dread work its way into his stomach. "He arrived right on time."

Steph inclined her head to Rebekah. "I hope you heard me," Stephanie narrowed her eyes at Damon, "I want you to stop following me; it's causing some problems."

"With who?" Damon snapped, "Klaus? I'm supposed to care what he thinks?"

"What you're supposed to do," Stephanie said evenly, "Is to let me go."

"You're crazy," Jeremy blurted and he heard Damon face-palm as Steph turned to him, "You're crazy if you think we can just let you go. You belong here, with your friends and family. With me."

"She really doesn't," Rebekah drawled and admired her nails. She stayed at Damon's shoulder, keeping him in arms' reach.

"Why's that?" Damon asked as he laughed derisively, "You guys bond over the summer? Have a couple of sleep overs?"

"Should you tell them or should I?" Rebekah grinned.

When Stephanie said nothing, Jeremy frowned. "Tell us what?"

Rebekah tossed her hair over shoulder. "Stephanie's an old friend of mine and Niklaus'. We go way back, don't we Stephanie?"

"That's a lie," Jeremy snarled, "She would have told us when we were all scrambling about Klaus and the curse."

"Not unless she'd been compelled," Damon murmured in quiet realization, his blue eyes sharply darting in between Stephanie and Rebekah.

"Very good," Rebekah grinned, "You're smarter than you look."

"You compelled her. Why?" Damon asked with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, look at the time," Rebekah changed the subject, "Nik will be waiting for us to return, Steph. Hurry it along, would you?"

"Why did you compel my little sister?" Damon snapped and Stephanie flashed to Jeremy's side and grabbed him in a chokehold.

"It really doesn't matter," Stephanie said quietly as she locked eyes with Damon, "What does is the fact that you need to stop trying to find me."

"We're trying to save you!" Damon said incredulously.

"I don't need any saving," Stephanie said, "I just need you to let me go, or else I'm going to do something I might regret."

"Well, there's this guy here and then a birthday girl and a couple of your other friends who won't let me do that," Damon said but his eyes were on Jeremy and Stephanie warily.

Steph's fingers twitched against Jeremy's windpipe. "Maybe I haven't made my point." Jeremy choked and flailed while Stephanie bit into her wrist and shoved the blood into his mouth.

"No!" Damon roared, but he was held back by an amused Rebekah.

Steph took her wrist away and asked idly, "I wonder if I kill him, will he turn or will the ring protect against that?" She fingered Jeremy's Gilbert ring as if in thought.

"Why are you doing this?" Jeremy coughed spluttered.

"Let me go," She whispered into his ear so quietly that even Rebekah couldn't hear, "Please just let me go before something happens to you or Elena."

"I won't," Jeremy couched and wiped his mouth. The last thing he saw before Stephanie snapped his neck was thinly veiled remorse in her eyes.

* * *

Damon waited until Jeremy woke up to leave the studio. Barbie-Klaus and Stephanie had left quickly, too fast for Damon to say anything more, and he was left alone with a dead boy he'd begun to care about like a brother.

When Jeremy sat up, gasping for air and clearly not in transition, Damon breathed a silent sigh of relief before he went over to the human.

"You okay?" Damon grunted.

"I don't – the hell – why - ?" Jeremy stuttered, confusion written across his face. Finally, he asked, "Am I a vampire?"

"No," Damon muttered, "No thanks to Steph, anyway."

"She didn't want to do it," Jeremy said unwaveringly loyal and his eyes were flinty as they met Damon's. Damon shook his head and snorted.

"I'm serious," Jeremy pushed as he sat up unsteadily, "She only wants us to stop looking for her because she's afraid Klaus is going to kill us."

"Well, it worked," Damon snapped.

"No," Jeremy said shaking his head, "No. We can't stop."

"She said it herself, she doesn't want us to save her," Damon growled and his fangs started to bulge from their sheaths in his gums, "So we'll leave her alone."

"You can't believe that," Jeremy said, aghast as Damon helped him to his feet. "You're her brother. If it were Elena, I'd never give up. Never." Damon said nothing but by the set of his shoulders and the pinch in his face, he wasn't going to give up on his little sister, even if it was only in the privacy of his own head.

They drove quietly back to the Boarding House where they were nearly run over by Caroline and Tyler, who were exuded sexual tension as they escaped the house.

"You missed the cake!" Caroline called back to them distractedly, but Damon and Jeremy trudged on up the stairs to the vampire's bedroom.

Elena was waiting for them there.

"What is this?" She demanded and wielded a stack of maps and post it notes in her tight grip.

"What? What are you doing in here, Elena? There's a party going on downstairs," Damon nearly groaned.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Elena demanded and her eyes swept to Jeremy, "Did you know? Did Alaric?"

"We're not doing this right now," Damon said quietly, "We've had a really bad night."

Elena ignored him. "All summer every single time I came to you with hope you made me feel like an idiot!"

"You were an idiot," Damon snapped and Elena glared, "We all were; me, you, Caroline and Jeremy." He tried to walk passed her but Elena's hand flew out and landed on his chest, freezing him in place.

"Tell me what you know," She said, her doe eyes searching his icy ones, "What happened?"

"I think you need to get back to your party," Damon said quietly and brushed passed her.

"We're all supposed to be in this together! Why didn't you tell me you were tracking Klaus' victims?" Elena shouted.

"Because they're not Klaus' victims, Elena," Jeremy said, making Elena whirl on him, "They're Stephanie's."

The room fell deathly silent.

"What?" Elena asked.

"She's left a trail of body parts up and down the Eastern Seaboard, Elena," Damon said as he looked at his girlfriend with dark eyes.

"You're wrong," Elena shook her head and Jeremy moved to stand beside her. Damon advanced on them.

"I've seen it before," He told them darkly, "she's flipped the switch; she's a full blown ripper again and nothing's going to bring her back." He ripped the papers from Elena's hands.

"Stop it, Damon," Jeremy said quietly.

"No, you guys stop!" Damon shouted, "We need to stop looking for her, waiting for her to come home. Just stop! Stephanie's gone and she's not coming back. Not in yours and Jeremy's lifetime."

"You don't know that," Elena whispered.

"Don't I? You want to know what she just did? She showed up with Barbie Klaus and fed Jeremy her blood and snapped his neck. She didn't know whether the ring would protect against that, but she did it anyway!"

Elena gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. She turned to Jeremy. "Is that . . . is that true?"

"She didn't want to," Jeremy said, but nothing but his confirmation made any impact. Tears fell from her eyes as she enclosed her brother into a tight hug and Damon stood apart from them.

"She didn't want to do it," Jeremy muttered but he might as well have been talking to empty air.

* * *

Stephanie felt hollow as she walked side by side with Rebekah back to the bar in Talley. Klaus was torturing Ray on the pool table, feeding him his blood when they walked in. He shouted something indiscernible and snapped Ray's neck.

"My lovely ladies have returned," Klaus smirked as he met them.

"Did you doubt me?" Stephanie asked quietly as Rebekah sniffed daintily at the sight of Ray's mangled body.

"Not in the least, love," Klaus grinned, "I knew you'd pass."

"Pass?" Stephanie asked stiffly.

"You still care for your brother and the Gilbert boy, along with your old life," Klaus said quietly, eyes on Stephanie's face as she walked over to him, "I'd wondered if you cared so much that you'd try and leave."

"Nah, I don't care," Stephanie whispered, shaking her head, "I don't care."

"The other night you threatened to crush my testicles for offering to kill the Gilbert boy," Klaus said dryly, "I don't think that's 'not caring.'" Rebekah snorted.

"I don't want to go back to my old life," Stephanie finally said, "They won't want me now. I'm . . . I'm a monster."

Klaus flashed in front of Stephanie and cradled her face in his hands and leant down. "You're perfect. You don't need them; you need people who understand you, love, who understand who you are."

"Who am I?" Stephanie whispered, blinking large green eyes up at the man she'd loved and hated in turns.

"You're my Ripper," Klaus murmured, "My love." His lips hovered over hers before he kissed her, mouths molding over each other, getting reacquainted. His hands lowered and Stephanie put her hands onto his shoulders, turning her head into chest.

She bit her lip and thought of home.

* * *

Jeremy's in bed when his phone starts to ring. He fumbles with it until he gets it up to his ear, the number being blocked.

"Hello?"

There was silence on the other end and Jeremy's heart started to race.

"Steph? Stephanie, if this is you, I forgive you for earlier," His quiet voice almost hoarse, "I know that you did that to protect us here from Klaus and Rebekah. You'll be okay. I love you, Stephanie. Please, please, remember that."

Muffled crying and then a dial tone was his only answer as Jeremy sank back into his bed.


	3. love was kind, for a time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds."  
> ― Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral's Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes borrowed/modified.

Jeremy woke up with a feeling of hardy resolve in his gut that was strong enough to help him ignore Logan Fell nattering on in the corner of his bedroom with Anna, hands gesturing wildly. Jeremy suspected the two were getting along much better in death than in life probably because of the sheer boredom that plagues them as ghosts. He couldn't imagine what he would do if he were ever a ghost, truly.

Jeremy swung his legs off the side of his bed and stood stiffly, stretching a little before hurrying to his closet and pulling out a simple tee shirt and a pair of faded jeans.

"Going somewhere?" Anna called, her voice lilting in amusement and she tucked a strand of long black hair daintily behind one ear.

Jeremy grunted but otherwise refused to reply as his fingers glided over his Gilbert ring once his pants were buttoned and zipped. He slipped his phone into his right pocket and quickly left the comfort of his room and the chilling companionship of the ghosts behind him.

Jeremy passed the large mirror hanging in the living room and his steps faltered. He looked at his reflection and felt a twinge of pain on his mark less neck, making him grimace. Jeremy heard a creaking and his eyes shot to the landing above him, and once sure neither Alaric nor Elena were up and about, he darted out the front door and to his sleek red car he'd gotten recently. Jeremy slid inside and started it up, backing out of the drive and moving onto the familiar path to the Salvatore Boarding House.

The drive was short and effortless with only his thoughts to keep him company, but that was never a pleasant aspect of Jeremy's life anymore; either ghosts popped up when they had no business being there or his mind was clouded with troubled thoughts of Stephanie and their now tangled relationship.

He thought of her black eyes and sharp teeth descending upon him and Jeremy shuddered; he wondered how Stephanie functioned with the guilt that must plague for heart for the deaths of her victims. Unbidden images of Steph's porcelain skin and dark hair and her sweet smile rose to forefront of his mind, only to be replaced with the one of her black eyes and bloody mouth pulling away from him.

Jeremy pulled up to the Salvatore Boarding House and parked, trying to clear his head before walking into the large home. The engine died quickly and Jeremy stepped out of the car, walking into the house. Seeing no one around, Jeremy jogged up the stairs and made it to the landing. His eyes automatically darted to Steph's empty room but he forced his gaze away and marched himself to Damon's luxurious bedroom.

The vampire was listening to the news on his television and unsticking the maps and post it notes from his closet door and walls. His attention was rapt on the sightings of his sister, but Jeremy could see half of the vampire's mind was on the television, reporting of another murder somewhere.

"Damon?" Jeremy called hesitantly and he saw Damon stiffen.

"What do you want, Lassie? Don't tell me Timmy's fallen down the well again," Damon muttered.

"That joke's getting old," Jeremy muttered with no bite, "Who is Timmy supposed to be, anyway?" Damon scowled, clamming up and continued to take down the papers.

"Where's Elena?" Jeremy changed the subject and Damon waved vaguely in the direction of the door.

"She's in the kitchen. You must have blown right passed her."

Jeremy frowned, but the statement wasn't entirely untrue, seeing as he was acting more like a ghost than the actual ghosts he knew did. "I needed to tell you something about Steph."

Damon arched an eyebrow and finally turned away from the closet. "What could you possibly have to say about my sister that would interest me right now?"

"She called me last night." Jeremy crossed his arms over his chest. Damon's other eyebrow went up and he regarding Jeremy with icy blue irises.

"What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything," Jeremy admitted, shaking his head, "But I know it was her, and so after she hung up, I got Sheriff Forbes to trace the call." Only after he'd heaved himself up from the bed and he'd known he wouldn't go smashing something at the fact that Steph had been _crying._ "The call was placed from Tennessee."

Damon's eyes flickered and he turned around. "She's been eating the country folk, I see. Good on her; expanding her palate," He started tearing the pictures down with more force. "We went through this, Jeremy; Steph's gone." He picked up the stack of pictures and stalked past Jeremy, throwing them into his fireplace. Damon turned back to him with a fake smile. "And I don't mean geographically."

Jeremy felt a moment of speechlessness before he gathered his wits again. "If she was gone, she wouldn't have called, Damon. You know that."

"I don't, actually," Damon glowered and turned back to the fire place, lighting it up. Jeremy waited for a few seconds more, his fingers twitching against his thigh.

"Well?" He asked, annoyed, "I've got maps and a location; I'm going to find her. Are you coming or not?"

"Not," Damon said flatly and didn't face Jeremy. The human glared and spun around, resolved to find someone who would help him even if Damon wouldn't. He jogged down the stairs and saw Elena dressed for the day in the Salvatore kitchen.

"I thought I heard you, Jer," Elena smiled a little, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving this morning, but . . ." She frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I got a lead on Steph and Damon doesn't want to come with me to find her," Jeremy growled, running a hand through his hair, making it spike up.

Elena bit her lip. "That's not really a good idea, anyway, Jeremy. I'm sorry to say this, but I think Damon's right; Stephanie doesn't want our help."

"It's a lie!" Jeremy shouted and he threw his hands up into the air, "She was trying to protect you from Klaus! Trying to protect all of us!"

Elena swallowed but stood her ground. "Then maybe we shouldn't let her sacrifice to waste. She's my friend, Jer, and I understand where you're coming from, but . . ."

Jeremy didn't stick around to listen to anymore, instead taking off in a huff and slamming the front door as well as his car door when he seated himself inside it.

"Having a bit of trouble?" Vicki asked teasingly from the passenger side.

"Go away, Vicki," Jeremy grumbled as his head fell forwards to land on the front wheel.

"Why don't you just go by yourself?" Vicki asked, her voice saying 'duh.' "I mean, who says you need your big sister or a big, bad vampire to go with you? You're . . . you; Jeremy Gilbert, brother to the doppelgänger and ex-boyfriend of a Ripper. You've got to have spunk or else you wouldn't have lasted this long."

Jeremy peered up at the ghost balefully.

Vicki grinned. "But if you really want some company, I am perfectly happy to come along. I'd like to make a request for a third passenger though . . ."

* * *

"This is demeaning. Why am I lugging around this great oaf when there's a perfectly able man around to do it for me?"

"Because, Rebekah dear, I'm not the type to lug around anything, especially werewolf corpses," Klaus replied dryly and Rebekah huffed angrily.

"And I am?"

Stephanie lifted her hand to look at the bickering siblings and wondered if squabbling was a universal trait for all siblings or if it was just something brothers and sisters did after living together for decades and centuries. She couldn't remember.

Stephanie blinked and felt pressure on her wrist and didn't have to turn her head to see Klaus squeezing her hand, something weird and exhilarating at once.

They were hiking through the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee together, Steph in between Klaus and Rebekah while the Original vampire had Ray's body in a fireman's carry on her shoulders. Rebekah's hair was askew, bringing a slight grin to Stephanie's rosy lips. It was an amusing sight to be sure, but Stephanie wasn't about to laugh at her only female companion and risk her ire.

"You need a bit of water or a sit down, Bekah?" Klaus drawled, "Too tired to go on?"

Rebekah growled. "What are you implying, Niklaus?"

"Nothing, dear sister, except the fact that you just admitted you need a man to do all the heavy lifting around here," He replied innocently and Stephanie saw the twinkle of mischief in his clear blue eyes.

Rebekah glowered and hefted Ray up higher onto her shoulders. She sniffed. "I did not. I can carry him without any rest at all, fine, thanks."

Klaus exchanged an amused glance with Stephanie. "Whatever you say, Bekah." The humor between the three of them bled dry once they reached a small patch of woods that was less densely populated as the other areas. In it were numerous werewolves milling about with camping gear, chattering quietly amongst themselves.

Steph breathed in slowly and she could smell their rushing blood and their strong pumping hearts. The drumming rhythm of their pulses pounded in Stephanie's ears, making her head cloudy. Klaus' hand squeezing her own one last time and then letting go brought her back to herself. She didn't look at him, but she knew that the Hybrid would be smug with a self-satisfied grin on his face; he'd momentarily calmed the Ripper.

"Thanks to Ray here, we've finally found an entire pack of werewolves," Klaus smirked and his eyes glittered. The trio announced their presence as they walked closer to the wolves, deliberately making noise with their feet. The little community all turned to stare at them with surprise and growing horror as Rebekah distastefully dropped Ray's body onto the dirty floor of the forest.

A petite young woman with short brown hair and jaded eyes lunged towards the dead werewolf. "Ray! Oh my God, what's going on?" She muttered to herself as her hands ran over Ray's body and lingered around his bloodied face. Stephanie kept impassive but couldn't help the worming guilt rising in her throat.

A man came up to the petite woman and Ray, his lip curling. The werewolves all picked up out it and seemed to close in around the vampires, sidling closer and closer.

"Who are you?" The woman growled up at Rebekah and the Original sniffed.

"That doesn't particularly matter right now," Klaus said smoothly in his silky voice, "The important question is who I am." He looked up from the girl and made eye contact with the man at her shoulder. "I apologize for the intrusion. My name is Klaus."

Stephanie's guilt started to fade away as the pounding of the werewolves' fearful hearts became faster. Her toes curled in anticipation as the werewolf woman slowly rose next to the man next to her, her face horrified.

"You're the Hybrid," She realized.

"You're heard of me?" Klaus asked and he grinned, "Fantastic."

* * *

"So, you're saying that some of the ghosts you've been seeing include my dead sister?"

"Yes."

"And she wants me to go with you on this wild goose chase after your ex-girlfriend in the hillside of Tennessee?"

Jeremy rubbed the back on his neck sheepishly and his face reddened with embarrassment. "No one else will go and . . ." Divulging that a ghost talked you into going to another state in searching for your murderous girlfriend was admittedly not a good idea, but Jeremy was desperate. "Vicki suggested you come along."

Matt met Jeremy's gaze exasperatedly, his blue eyes narrowing in his. "What makes you think this is a good idea? Not to be disrespectful to the dead," Here, Matt's eyes wandered the room, looking for his sister who was at Jeremy's shoulder, looking hopeful, "But Vicki's not the most dependable person in the world, dead or alive, strictly speaking."

Vicki pouted. "Not fair, Mattie." Jeremy had to cough into his fist to keep from laughing.

"What?" Matt demanded.

"Vicki said you were being unfair," Jeremy explained and Matt's hands curled into fists.

He sighed raggedly. "If we didn't live in Mystic Falls and I hadn't seen everything I've seen, I'd call you crazy," Matt said pointedly.

"We've got him," Vicki whispered into Jeremy's ear, giggling and he tried not to become too hopeful.

"But . . ." Matt's fist uncurled, "We do and I have, so I believe you about my sister. But I want this put onto the record that I think this is dangerous and that even if we're not killed on your adventure, your sister will finish the job when we get back."

Vicki fist pumped and Jeremy wondered in the back of his mind why she was so happy about this. What did she really get out of this trip besides having Jeremy translate a few conversations between her and her brother? But he smiled on the outside to Matt because he was truly happy to have a bit of live backup for his search for Stephanie.

"Klaus has been hunting werewolves all summer, probably to make more Hybrids," Jeremy explained quickly, "So I'm going to ask Tyler if he knows any packs in Tennessee or where they'd go during a full moon if they lived there." Matt nodded.

"I kind of can't leave my job out of the blue, Jer. Plus, it's probably not a good idea to hunt werewolves on a full moon," Matt said, "Are you sure you have to go now?"

"This is the only lead we've got," Jeremy said a little forcefully and made himself calm down. He met Matt's eyes fiercely. "I have to go today. If you skip work one time, it can't hurt, right?"

Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where can we find Tyler?"

* * *

"It's fascinating, actually."

The werewolves were standing stiffly and one could almost see their hackles raised in distress. Ray's body lie between the two factions; the wolves stood on one side and two vampires and Hybrid lazing on the other. Rebekah was standing, not deigning to get dirt on her skirt, Stephanie was sure, with her arms crossed over her chest. Steph and Klaus were happy to sit on a large slab of rock next to each other as the Hybrid taunted the wolves.

"A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire that doesn't burn in the sun," His eyes flicked over to the wolves, Steph saw, and she noticed them straighten further at the motion. "A true hybrid."

Stephanie heard Ray's heart start again, abet slowly, and he gasped for air as his body arched up off of the ground and his eyes blinked against the bright sunshine that leaked through the canopy of trees. The others of his community took a startled step backwards, even the girl who'd rushed to his side so frightfully before.

"So good of you to join us at last," Rebekah sneered.

"I thought it was rather excellent timing, myself," Klaus grinned, bemused, "Very good dramatic entrance."

Ray's body twisted and convulsed until he lied on his stomach. His eyes looked up and Stephanie put a hand onto her thigh, watching him impassively as he asked, "What's happening to me?"

"Stephanie, love," Klaus said with a sultry smile and Stephanie nodded and stood. She saw a few werewolves in the back snicker but it didn't bother her; she was used to being underestimated by others.

"Are any of you human?" She called loudly as she walked over to Ray's body. Steph looked down at him with something akin to pity, "Your friend needs some human blood to complete his transition into a vampire; if he doesn't get it, he will die."

"It doesn't take much," Rebekah added.

"Just a sip, really," Klaus assured and stood. His complacent expression turned dark when no one stepped forward. "Anyone? A boyfriend, a girlfriend along for the ride . . ." He turned towards the man who'd been standing close to the petite woman and smirked. "You." Klaus sped towards him and ripped into his wrist and then shoved the human towards Stephanie. She put him down on the ground hard and fast, holding out the mangled wrist to Ray.

"If you don't drink it, Ray, I will," Stephanie assured the werewolf in transition. She tried to keep her eyes on him but they kept wandering towards the open wound and her fangs began to bulge. "The problem is that I don't know how to stop."

The female werewolf rushed Stephanie, but Rebekah had her by the throat in less than a second. "I wouldn't do that," She hissed, fangs bulging and her eyes black as night.

"Soon you'll all be hybrids," Klaus murmured into the werewolf's ear.

"I'd rather die than be like you," The werewolf growled.

"Wrong choice," Klaus hissed and bit into his wrist, force feeding the werewolf his blood while Rebekah held onto her. Stephanie hedges the bloody arm closer to Ray and finally he darted in and his mouth attached to the wound. The sound of sucking and moaning made Stephanie turn her head away to keep herself from giving in to her own bloodlust.

Rebekah snapped the female werewolf's neck and Klaus crowed, "She'll be thanking me for that later, lovelies." He lifted his bloodied hand to his mouth and smiled as he licked a bit of the blood off. Stephanie stood and marveled at his eye color change still; instead of turning red or black, his eyes turned a beautiful amber that lured her in.

"Who's next?" Klaus asked as spidery veins crawled down his cheeks and fangs bulged.

* * *

"In a few hours the full moon's going to rise, man," Matt warned as he hefted his backpack of weapons higher onto his shoulder.

Jeremy walked a little ahead of the QB, his own backpack on his shoulders. "It'll be just on that ridge, where the pack will be, according to Tyler."

"What happened to getting out of here before the full moon?" Matt asked as he caught up to Tyler. They were walking through the Smoky Mountains, hiking gear on them and backpacks of weapons and a few survival kits.

"You're no fun at all, Mattie," Vicki rolled her eyes and put her hands onto her hips. Matt heard nothing of course, but Jeremy smiled a little.

"We will be," Jeremy assured Matt and didn't respond to Vicki at all.

"Whose weapons are these anyway?" Matt asked as they reached a lake on their left. They dropped their things and settled onto the grass to drink some water and take a small break.

"Alaric's," Jeremy replied and checked his watch, frowning. He hoped they'd have enough time to get up to Stephanie before nightfall.

"Does he know we've got his stuff?" Matt asked warily and took a swig of bottled water.

"He's been practically living at our house for a while and he's only recently gone back to his apartment," Jeremy explained, "He left some of his gear at the house."

"So that's a no," Matt said wryly.

"You two are complete idiots. Dunderheads. Moronic blockheads. Ignoramus simpletons. Need I go on?"

Matt and Jeremy both whirled around to see Damon leaning on a tree in his standard black tee shirt, jeans and boots. His face was drawn in a not-amused frown, icy eyes glaring at the two teenagers and his arms were crossed over his chest as he glowered at them.

"Damon? What are you doing here?" Jeremy demanded, standing and pointing at the vampire.

"I followed you," Damon said flatly, "And good thing too because you two are lunkhead imbeciles."

"You said that already," Matt muttered.

"What are you even doing here?" Damon asked the blonde teenager exasperatedly, "Don't you like live at the Grill? Besides that, you have no interest in finding Stephanie, at all."

"He needed someone to go with him," Matt jerked a thumb at Jeremy, "And since his sister nor you decided to go, he asked me."

"You could have at least asked Rick," Damon deadpanned to Jeremy, eyebrow arched.

Jeremy shuffled. "Vicki asked me to ask Matt," He mumbled.

Damon threw his hands up in the air. "I give up! You're taking advice from dead bitches that have interest in keeping you alive!"

"That's my sister you're talking about!" Matt roared.

"Hey, hey, hey," Jeremy leapt in between the two, "Let's not fight here, okay?" He turned to Damon, "Since you're here, just come with us to find Stephanie."

"I'm certainly not letting you go by yourself," Damon snapped back and the three lapsed into an awkward silence. Seeing no one else making a move, Damon snapped his fingers, "Come on, Lassie and Jock Strap. Let's get a move on if we want to get there before the full moon."

Matt mouthed to himself, "Jock Strap?" Unbeknownst to him, Vicki giggled at his shoulder.

* * *

Stephanie stood with her arms folded as Rebekah compelled the human man to relax in the dirt. Klaus turned to Stephanie and her eyes tracked his movements. They all looked at Ray, who was a shivering mess, huddled on the rock Steph and Klaus had been perched on earlier.

"I'm dead," He muttered on a loop, "I'm dead."

"He's not looking well, Nik," Rebekah murmured as she looked at the pitiful sight.

"He's through with his transition so he should be feeling better soon," Klaus said, but Stephanie could tell he wasn't sure of himself.

"What are we going to do with an army of Hybrid slaves when they've all transitioned?" Stephanie asked as her bright green eyes swept the forest before coming back to settle on Klaus.

"They're not slaves, love, we've been over this," Klaus explained, "They'll be soldiers; comrades to protect us from Mikael."

"You still haven't explained who exactly Mikael is," Stephanie pressed, her eyes meeting Klaus', "Why does he want to hurt us?"

"Not us, Stephanie," Rebekah said slowly, "Just me and Nik, though I imagine if he ever finds out about what you mean to Nik and what you've done, he'll come after you as well."

"But who is he?" Stephanie repeated, frustration leaking from her voice.

Klaus suddenly moved and the girls turned to watch him as he crouched next to Ray. Stephanie's sharp intake of breath was loud as she saw the new Hybrid's face; blood was pouring out through his eyes as Klaus inspected him.

"Something's wrong," Klaus muttered fretfully.

"Of course there's something wrong, there's blood leaking out of his eyes," Rebekah snapped and Stephanie stepped forwards to gently look at him.

"But what could be causing this?" Klaus murmured to himself and Stephanie was struck with a sudden fear. Elena. Elena was still alive. She hadn't died. Maybe she had to die for there to be able to be new Hybrids.

"You said it was going to feel better," Ray stammered as he shivered and trembled, "But it doesn't feel better."

"Some master race, Klaus," Stephanie muttered.

"Please drop the attitude, love," Klaus said with an arched eyebrow and the second werewolf he'd turned gasped for air. "Derek," He called and the human came forwards, compelled, "Go feed your girlfriend."

Ray jumped up suddenly, surprising them all as he sped off and out into the forest faster than the human eye could track.

"Go get him," Klaus said and Stephanie sped off with Rebekah on her heels. Steph tackled the new Hybrid and brought him down to the ground, but he struggled and his teeth clamped into Stephanie's skin on her forearm, ripping and tearing, almost severing the member. He bucked her off and Stephanie flew through the air until she hit a tree and sunk to the ground, whimpering.

She clutched the wound with her hand and hissed as it stung. Stephanie's mind went back to when she and Klaus had shared blood once a upon a time, but it had been nothing like this. Stephanie banished the thought as Rebekah started towards her.

"Are you alright?" The blonde asked, worried as she crouched next to Stephanie. She eyed the wound and hissed. "Niklaus will fix it – let's go back to him."

"Go get the hybrid," Steph urged Rebekah, "He'll want the hybrid."

"I'm staying with you," Rebekah snapped.

"I'll be fine," Stephanie said calmly, despite her grimace of pain, "Just find Ray for Klaus." Rebekah scoffed and stood anyway, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"If that's what you want," Rebekah said uneasily, "But I'll be back immediately." Stephanie nodded and the Original sped off. Steph stood and clutched her arm tighter as she heard familiar voices in the distance.

"Damon," She whispered and ghosted towards the sound of his voice. Stephanie found him, Jeremy, and Matt of all people trouping through the forest, looking for her.

"Where did he go?"

Stephanie spun around and saw Klaus, but from his face he hadn't seen the trio of boys looking for her yet.

"Rebekah went after him," Stephanie said.

Klaus's eyes traveled down Stephanie's person. "Why aren't you with her?" They settled on the wound on Stephanie's arm and his face became blank. "Ray bit you." It was not a question.

"Yes," Stephanie let go of her arm and met Klaus' eyes challengingly.

Klaus stepped towards her and with surprisingly gentle hands, cradled her forearm, fingers barely touching her. He let her arm go and she pulled it towards her body. Klaus tilted his head.

"If you want the cure, come and get it," He murmured and to Stephanie's utmost surprise, Klaus exposed the tender part of his neck to her. While he'd made his feelings for Stephanie perfectly clear to Steph, he'd never offered to blood share with her since the 20s, and Stephanie hadn't wanted to do it for the act was so intimate . . .

Klaus' eyes glittered as Stephanie walked towards him hesitantly and put her hands onto his shoulders. She leant upwards until her lips were grazing his neck, making Klaus shiver beneath her touch.

"Come on then, love," Klaus whispered and Stephanie slipped her canines into the tender tissue, breaking the skin delicately. Her eyes fluttered closed immediately and an involuntary gasp slipped from her breath as the taste and texture of Klaus' blood flooded her. It was like fireworks in her head as their minds melded and Stephanie felt like she'd come home. _Now that's more like it_ , his thoughts whispered.

Klaus' arms clasped her tiny waist and hefted her up, bringing her back against a tree as her legs wrapped his waist to hold herself up. She reluctantly lifted her head when Klaus disengaged her from his neck a few minutes later and she licked the blood off of her lips. Stephanie met Klaus' eyes and could still feel the presence of him in her mind, a dangerous and exciting thing.

"You'd best be off to help Rebekah then, shouldn't you," He murmured and set Stephanie back down on her feet.

She nodded sharply. "Yeah, I mean, yes." She darted away and marveled at the new strength she had in her veins and Steph noticed the bite was completely gone with not a scar in place. Her speed had been doubled and a started and exhilarated laugh escaped her lips. Klaus' Hybrid blood was a boost, Stephanie found, almost like a drug. She wanted more of him.

* * *

Vicki kept thankfully quiet during the tense hike up the mountain, even as evening fell and Damon's mood became fouler. Jeremy could tell Matt was regretting his decision to come with him, if only because Damon was being a dick.

Damon stopped suddenly and threw out his arms for the two human teenagers to stop, which they did only reluctantly.

"What is it?" Matt asked, his voice hushed in the silence of the forest.

"Shut it, Jock Strap," Damon said mildly and then he whirled around, followed by the two teenagers. A man in his late twenties was staggering towards them, bloodied and wearing a torn plaid shirt. His facial hair was crusted with dried blood and his eyes were wild.

"Vampire," He murmured when he caught sight of Damon.

Damon waved and the man launched himself with inhuman speed at the vampire. Damon wrestled with him, but the man had him up against a tree in a chokehold in a matter of seconds. Matt and Jeremy scrambled for their backpacks, fingers clambering for a weapon.

Matt pulled out a miniature crossbow that he shot at the man's back, but it had little to no effect, making Matt curse. Jeremy's eyes landed on a small grenade and hoped it would work better as he lobbed it towards Damon.

"Catch!"

Damon caught it smoothly and threw it into the man's face, making him go down, screaming in pain. Jeremy stood quickly, surprised it had even worked against something that seemed like a vampire; it had been a wolfs bane grenade.

Damon kicked the man again until he stopped moving.

"What was that?" Matt gasped and Vicki's eyes were wide as she reappeared.

"Hybrid, I bet," Jeremy said as his eyes met Damon's.

"Let's find out," Damon grinned with all of his teeth as he hopped over to Jeremy's backpack and pulled out some ropes. "Put some vervain on these," He commanded the two boys and they quickly obliged. Damon held the man up to the tree until Jeremy and Matt tied him up.

Damon eyed their handiwork critically. "It's not going to hold for very long."

"You do it next time, then," Matt muttered.

"Fight later, interrogate now," Jeremy snapped and stepped towards the man, letting his hand gently touch his face. The man's head snapped back and he screamed, making Jeremy startle and take a step backward.

"Is he turning?" Damon asked incredibly.

"It's impossible; it's still daylight," Jeremy argued.

"Yeah, well, it looks like he didn't get the memo," Matt jerked a thumb towards the hybrid. Damon sped forwards and held the hybrid to the tree, but he grimaced under the strain.

"There weren't supposed to be wolves out here until the moon was full," Jeremy growled and beads of sweat began to build on his forward.

"We need to get the hell out of here, right now," Matt shouted over the hybrid's screams, "These mountains are going to be flooded with these guys and then we'll all be toast!"

"I agree with Jock Strap," Damon announced and shoved the backpacks towards Jeremy and Matt, grabbing a hold of Elena's brother, and shoving him. "Go!"

Night seemed to fall quickly as they ran through the now dark forest, dodging trees and holes, and trying not to trip on other foliage. Damon kept his speed at human pace, making sure Jeremy and Matt were always ahead of him. Matt was easily the fastest runner after Damon, the vampire grudgingly admitted, because of football. Jeremy tripped and went flying and Damon's eyes widened as he saw a shape blur towards him.

"Jeremy, don't move," He commanded sharply and Jeremy slowly looked up on all fours at the nasty snarling wolf that was less than a foot from his face.

"Holy shit!" Matt nearly tripped over his own two feet at the sight of the monstrous animal. The wolf snapped and snarled at Jeremy's trembling form and Damon bent, trying to figure out how to help him.

"Here doggy doggy," He decided and sent Matt a look, "Get him out of here and to your car!" Damon sped off with the hybrid on his heels at impossible speeds. He lost the wolf somewhere around a corner, and so Damon slowed down to human walking speeds. He kept his senses opened to their peaks, eyes scanning and ears turned to the smallest sounds. Damon heard the sound of snapping branch and whirled around just in time to be pushed backwards five feet and land on his back.

The hybrid was human again, tears of blood streaming down his cheeks as he howled at Damon. Damon got to his feet and swung at the hybrid's head and missed by inches. They danced around each other, swinging dangerous punches and sweeping leg tricks until Damon dove for the hybrid's knees.

He missed and the hybrid jumped clean overhead Damon and bent down, ready to lunge again. He did and his hands clapped onto Damon's shoulders and they pushed against each other in a grudge match, but Damon could feel himself losing ground with the admittedly stronger being. The hybrid lunged for Damon's throat, and the vampire almost sweated at the close calls.

The hybrid snapped at Damon's ear, making him fall back, but suddenly the hybrid shuddered and fell to the dirty floor of the forest, letting Damon catch sight of Stephanie.

Her hair was wild and her green eyes were an unnaturally bright green in the darkness and they almost glowed in their intensity. Blood was collected in the corners of her mouth and in her right hand was the heart of the hybrid dead at their feet.

"Fancy meeting you here," Damon finally gasped as he caught his breath and stood up, staggering.

"I thought I asked you not to follow me anymore," Stephanie said as she tossed the heart through the trees a few feet away. Her unnatural eyes settled onto Damon's and she tilted her head. Damon squinted; Steph looked exuberant and full of an energy unlike any other he'd seen, even when they'd met when she'd been high on human blood. There was something going on.

"You might want to take that up with your boyfriend," Damon drawled, "If you don't want him chasing you, I'd stop with the late night phone calls, if you know what I mean."

"I didn't call him," Stephanie denied, shaking her head sharply.

"Sure you did," Damon called her out and he continued, "He's not going to give up on you."

He saw something battle in Stephanie's bright eyes before she said, "He's going to have to because I'm never coming back. Why don't you get him home and keep him and Matt and Elena and everyone else safe. Try to keep Jeremy there this time."

Damon nodded slowly and he advanced a little on Steph. "So, you want to tell me why Rebekah compelled you? Or was it Klaus? Care to share?"

Stephanie said nothing.

Damon arched a brow. "Come on now, don't be shy."

"It was nothing," Stephanie denied and Damon watched as she seemed to vibrate with energy in place.

"You eat someone with Speed tonight, or what?" Damon changed the subject since she was so keen on avoiding it and he eyed her critically. She flashed up close to Damon's face, pushing him backwards a few steps.

"I'm fine, Damon," She hissed and Damon tried to understand how she'd moved so fast. "So, please just go before someone finds you." Stephanie disappeared in the blink of an eye and an idea started to form in the back of Damon's mind.

He reached the place he'd found Jeremy's car and found Jeremy and Matt there, sitting in the front seats. Jeremy lunged out of the car.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"She's fine, I'm fine," Damon said flatly, "We need to go before anymore hybrids find us. Get back in the car." Jeremy protested, but Damon shoved him inside before climbing in the driver's side himself and started the car.

"What did she say?" Jeremy demanded from the backseat.

"Leave it, Jeremy," Damon said tiredly.

"So, you saw her?" Jeremy asked and even Matt perked up, "Is she okay?"

"No, Jeremy, she's not okay," Damon said quietly, "She's an insufferable martyr who needs her ass kicked. But she can be saved."

"What happened out there?" Matt was compelled to ask, saving Jeremy the trouble.

"What changed your mind?" Jeremy asked quietly.

"I changed my mind because even in my sister's darkest place, she still can't let me die. So I figure I owe the same to her in return." He met Jeremy's gaze, "But this time, we're doing it right; we're going to get Elena and Alaric's help. Even Barbie can join in, if she likes."

"Thanks," Jeremy said, nodding and Damon turned back to the wheel and drove. He'd help get Stephanie back, but he wasn't sure what would happen when that occured.

* * *

Stephanie took Ray's body with her as she headed back towards the patch of forest where Klaus would be waiting. The sensory enhancement was winding down but Stephanie still felt wired and full instead of hungry for a first in a long time.

"There you are," Rebekah's voice called and Stephanie turned to see the blonde flash to her side, "I've been looking for you and _him,"_ She pointed at Ray, "For the last twenty minutes."

Stephanie shrugged, glad that Rebekah hadn't found Jeremy, Damon or Matt in her search. "I'm sorry," She apologized.

Rebekah's eyes narrowed. "What's with your eyes?"

Stephanie wasn't sure what the fascination with her eyes was that evening; Damon had been paying particular attention to them when he'd been badgering her about her wellbeing.

"What's wrong with them?" Stephanie asked as she and Rebekah started to head back to Klaus again.

"They're glowy," Rebekah admitted with a frown, "Kind of. They're a very bright green and you've a spring in your step." Her gaze shot down to Stephanie's blemish less forearm and her eyes widened. "Nik gave you his blood."

Stephanie couldn't feel Klaus' mind anymore, but the memory was both pleasing and shameful at the same time; she was supposed to hate this man but past memories and new ones were making her terribly confused.

"Yes," She finally said.

"There must be something about his Hybrid blood," Rebekah mused, "that affects you."

They reached the patch of forest in the dark to find it littered with actual dead bodies instead of transitioning ones. Stephanie dropped Ray's body onto the ground gently and made her way quietly over to Klaus.

"What happened?" Rebekah asked, her gaze sweeping the forest floor, "It looks like a genocide occurred over here."

Klaus was seated on the slab of rock, two bottles of beer next to his hip. "They went rabid," He said desolately, "Some of them I killed, the others just . . ." His voice was quiet with muted despair, "bled out." Klaus stood and staggered over to Stephanie and Rebekah. "In the end, they were all dead." He looked down at the bottle of alcohol in his head and spun around, roaring as he threw it into a tree.

The bottle shattered, sending shards of green glass flying in every direction. He stepped backwards and tilted his head back and _screamed_. "I did everything I was told! I should be able to turn them; I broke the curse, killed a werewolf, killed a werewolf. I killed the doppelgänger."

Stephanie could almost feel his anguish and she found herself walking towards him. She reached out her hand and squeezed Klaus' wrist gently. Klaus looked down at her with clear but anguished eyes.

Rebekah made soothing noises to her brother. "We'll find out what's wrong. We'll go to your best witches, Nik, and they'll find out what's gone wrong."

Klaus nodded slowly.

"I had to kill Ray," Stephanie finally said in the silence. "I didn't have a choice. I failed you. I'm sorry."

"I was going to kill him myself for biting you," Klaus said evenly, "So it doesn't matter. You didn't fail me." He looked up at Rebekah, who arched an eyebrow tiredly. "We leaving, ladies." Klaus' gaze swept the forest floor, taking in the bodies once more. "It appears you two are my only comrades left, after all."

"Just as it should be," Rebekah announced extravagantly and she flung her arms around Klaus and Stephanie's shoulders. "The three of us against the world."

* * *

Caroline came to, confused and aching. She remembered sleeping with Tyler and getting up to leave the Lockwood property, but after that . . . she moaned and lifted her head up, blinking against the light filtering in to wherever she was.

Caroline looked down and started to become fearful when she saw the bindings on her arms and legs, tying her down to a chair. She pulled her head up in what appeared to be an underground cell.

"Hello!" She called and tried to break her chained, but they were too strong. "Mrs. Lockwood! Somebody!" Caroline heard someone outside the metal door of her cell. "Who's that? Mrs. Lockwood? Please!"

Someone opened the door and a figure came out of the shadows.

"Hello, Caroline."

Her eyes widened. "Daddy?"

* * *

Jeremy trudged back up to his bedroom and noted that Alaric had moved back into their house. Damon intercepted Elena, who had come charging over to Jeremy for answers, and the couple disappeared into her bedroom.

Jeremy slid the door to his own room shut and he locked it, knowing it wouldn't keep out any vampires. He flung himself onto his bed and closed his eyes.

"Jeremy," Vicki called and he reluctantly rolled over.

"What do you want, Vicki? You had me drag Matt out into the wilderness for no reason at all where he almost died a few times. What do you want now?"

"Matt needed to get out," Vicki shrugged carelessly, "I love him, but my brother needs to get over Caroline and Elena and he works at the Grill, Jeremy."

"So do I," He pointed out.

"He pays his own bills and for school and for food, all because I'm dead and our mother is a junkie who blows in and out of town just to take money, Jer," Vicki said flatly, hands on her hips, "The point I'm making is that Matt needed a push."

"To what, fight monsters of the night?" Jeremy asked incredulously, "I don't get you, Vicki."

"I needed you and Matt to be closer," Vicki finally admitted, "And what brings people closer together than fighting things that go bump in the night?"

"You're crazier than a bag of cats," Jeremy said flatly, "Matt and I was already friends. Why do you need us to be closer?"

"I need help," Vicki said as she nearly floated over to Jeremy's bed, "And I need you and Matt to help to do it."

Jeremy furrowed his brows. "Help for what?"

"I can come back," Vicki said, eyes bright, "You and Mattie can help bring me back."

* * *

Damon stood in the Gilbert kitchen, trifling through their cabinets quietly. Elena was upstairs, along with Jeremy and Alaric, and he'd spent the night himself. He'd admit to no one but himself that the Boarding House was large and lonely without Stephanie there.

His phone trilled and he looked at the screen, frowning when it just said incoming caller.

"You're interrupting my drink," He said dryly.

"Miss me?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Katherine. Where are you?"

"Lurking outside your window, waiting for a chance to spring at you," She said huskily before dissolving into laughter.

"That's great because I'm not in my house right now," Damon said cheerily, "What do you want?"

"I'm homesick," Katherine lied, "What have I missed?"

"Well, Steph's still Klaus' little prisoner and Jeremy still thinks he can save her and no one's thought about you since you left," Damon smirked.

"What do you mean, prisoner?" Katherine asked, mocking laughter in her voice.

Damon scowled. "He forced her to go with him to hunt werewolves and commit homicide. What else do you call it?"

"Klaus may have initially forced Stephanie to come with him, but let's just say I've seen them since she's left; they're revisiting some old pastimes and hangouts. It may be unwillingly, but Stephanie's definitely receiving treatment that most inmates would be jealous of."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Damon growled, bewildered, "'Old pastimes'? They've never met before Klaus came after Elena. I still don't know what the hell he wanted her to come with him for."

"Oh Damon," Katherine sighed piteously and then her tone turned innocent, "Didn't I tell you about Stephanie and Niklaus' whirlwind romances over the course of your vampire lives? They've met up multiple times – while she's been the Ripper, exempting the first time – and they fall fast and hard for each other. Something always drives them apart though - I'm not sure what yet - but Klaus then compels his dear Steph to forget him and his dashing sister to keep her safe. It's quite tragic."

Damon's jaw had dropped after the first sentence and he couldn't make himself shut it yet. "You're the biggest liar I've ever met," He finally choked.

"You think I'm lying?" Katherine asked coyly and Damon's mind went back to Stephanie and her glowing eyes and her energized appearance the night before and the fact that someone _had_ compelled Stephanie before.

"They were blood sharing," Damon realized and felt a surge of anger and protectiveness and betrayal all at once.

"Ooh," Katherine teased, "That must sting. I wonder what boyfriend will say. So, have you given up on her yet?"

There was something in her voice . . .

"Why?" Damon asked and his fingers curled tighter around the phone, "You know something."

"I'm not going to tell you if you've given up on her," Katherine sounded like she was smirking, "She is kind of sleeping with the enemy. Or she was, anyway. I'm not too sure about the present, but considering you're under the impression they were blood sharing . . . it's as good as, really."

"I haven't given up on her," Damon said but he couldn't get the image of Klaus fooling around with his baby sister out of his head. What _would_ Jeremy and Elena say if they ever found out? "Are you trailing them?"

"A Hybrid who wants me dead and his lover whose off the rails? I couldn't be farther away," Katherine said.

"Which still means you know exactly where they are," Damon pointed out smugly.

"Well, I've spent a few hundred years running from him, Damon. I have to know where he is so I can stay on the opposite side of the world at any given moment," Katherine drawled.

Damon held his breath to keep from shouting down the line at the older vampire. "Where are they?" He asked, annoyed and fed up.

"Chicago."

* * *

Caroline shook her bindings, alone again in the her underground cell. It was dark and damp and horrifyingly lonely and all she could think about was how Carol Lockwood had put her here and her father had helped.

"Daddy? Are you there?" The vents started to dispense a heavy and cloudy substance into the air that made Caroline cough and choke. "Vervain," She moaned to herself. "Dad!"

He reappeared through the heavy metal door and walked slowly to his daughter and placed a hand under her chin. "I'm so sorry that this had to happen to you."

"Dad," Caroline whispered as the vervain clouded up the cell and got into her mouth and nose, making her drowsy and weak.

Her dad crouched in front of her chair. "I need an answer; how do you walk in the sunlight?"

"Please, just let me go," Caroline whispered, "Please, I don't, I don't hurt anyone."

"Sweetheart, just answer the question," Her dad said, "Then we'll get on with it, I promise."

Caroline's head was spinning and when she looked at her father he was a blurry mass of peach and blue and brown. "Is that all you wanna know?"

"Yes, it's all I want to know," He nodded.

She looked down towards her ring and Bill Forbes turned towards it, murmuring, "Interesting." He slipped it off of her finger and tossed it far out of her reach.

"Dad, no," Caroline croaked, "Please, what are you doing? No, what are you doing?" Her father started to talk about the cell but all she could think about was that her own dad had taken her daylight ring. Was he going to kill her? Why?

"Vervain in the ventilation system to keep you weak, reinforced steel containment chair, and that," He nodded upwards and Caroline followed his gaze to the roof which had panels that could be opened and shut at will by some kind of lead.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked as Bill walked away and came back with a blood bag. She felt her fangs bulge at the sight and he took it away.

"Blood controls you, sweetheart and this is how I'm going to fix you," Bill promised and he pulled on the lead, opening the sunlight hatch.

She screamed.

* * *

Damon drove his blue mustang with Elena in the passenger side and Jeremy in the back, who was suspiciously quiet that morning.

"You know, I got that necklace from Steph," Damon told Elena as he watched her finger her necklace out of the corner of his eye, "It's an antique from the 20s."

"Really?" Elena asked, curious and Damon nodded before pulling a diary out of the backseat.

"This, Jeremy and Elena," Damon waved it with one hand, "paints a pretty little picture of Steph's first time in Chicago." He said nothing of Katherine's revelation to him that morning.

"That's Stephanie's diary," Elena said flatly, "We're not going to invade her private thoughts."

"You guys need to be prepared for what you're about to see," Damon shot back.

"We can handle it, Damon," Jeremy said for the first time since they'd gotten in the car.

Damon rolled his eyes and opened the diary. "Here's one, _March 12, 1922: I've blacked out. I wake up in strange places with blood caked all over with me with the bodies of men I don't recognize or remember._ " He gasped and turned to Elena and Jeremy, "I'm shocked! Stephanie's not a virgin!"

"Eyes back on the road, Gramps," Jeremy snapped.

"Fine, you guys read it," Damon handed it off to Elena, who reluctantly intrigued, opened and started to it. Damon looked at Elena carefully. He'd made sure that Klaus hadn't been mentioned in the diary, but thought had been odd that she'd been lovers with a man and not written about him, so he'd combed through her other diaries, but still turned up with nothing. Either she'd not written about her 'tragic love' or Klaus had taken the diaries and destroyed them.

They arrived in Chicago in good time and Damon took the Gilberts to Stephanie's old apartment.

"Steph had all of Chicago to live in and chose this place?" Elena asked, nose scrunched up.

"Well, there used to be an all-boys academy down the street, but they had some attendance issues . . ." Damon trailed off, smirking and wiggling his eyebrows. "This is Stephanie's second personality's home."

Jeremy let a finger trail across a dusty end-table. "Well, she hasn't been here yet."

"Oh, the tour's not over, Gilberts," Damon said and he walked towards the back of the room and pulled a trigger, popping open a closet.

"Stephanie's a closeted alcoholic?" Elena guessed when they saw all of the bottles.

"Behind the beer, Gilberts, behind the beer," Damon pushed the shelf over and revealed a list of names that went down from the ceiling to the floor and had numerous columns.

"Are all of these Stephanie's victims?" Jeremy asked and Damon cocked an eyebrow at the horror filled tone.

"What were you doing in the twenties, Damon?" Elena asked as she turned away, shuddering.

"I was . . . around," Damon shrugged, "Chicago is big enough for us to be in the same city and not interact. I could stay away from Stephie's slutty stage and still indulge on my own." He walked away, leaving the Gilberts to exchange looks.

"Where are you going?" Jeremy asked, eye brows furrowed.

"Some of Steph's old hunting grounds while you two stay here to come up with an actual plan. Have fun," He waved and ducked out of the apartment as quickly as he could, despite their protests.

* * *

Stephanie walked in between the siblings as they wandered into Gloria's old speakeasy. She took in the appearance and marveled it was still around.

"I can't believe this place is still here," Stephanie said quietly.

"It's in relative good condition as well," Rebekah said, eyeing the place up and down.

"You have got to be kidding me," A familiar voice said and Stephanie turned to see Gloria, and she looked as though she'd not aged day.

"So, a Hybrid walks into a bar with an Original and a Ripper . . ." Klaus trailed off, smirking.

"Stop," Gloria said, rolling her eyes, "You're invincible, not funny." The three vampires walked over to meet Gloria halfway, "I remember you," Gloria said to Stephanie with a half-smile. "They've found you again, have they?"

"It took a while," Rebekah drawled as she admired her nails, "But Stephanie was discovered in her little home town of Mystic Falls."

"Shouldn't you be . . ." Stephanie trailed off and tilted her head.

"Old and dead? Someone has to run this place," Gloria said, not really saying anything at all. She didn't elaborate, so Klaus did.

"She's a powerful witch," He said and motioned towards her, "and can make herself look young for a very long time. It will catch up to her one day, unfortunately, but for now . . ." He grinned.

Gloria motioned for the three of them to sit down and she sat across from them all. She eyed Stephanie, but seeing Klaus' nod, went ahead. "I know why you're here; a Hybrid making more Hybrids. That kind of news travels."

"So what is the dolt doing wrong then?" Rebekah snapped, "He broke the curse and the doppelgänger is dead. What more is there for him to do?"

"Clearly he did something wrong," Gloria said flatly and Klaus scowled. "Look, every spell has a loophole, but a spell that old? We'd have to contact the witch who created it."

"The Original Witch is long dead," Klaus snapped and Rebekah winced, making Stephanie wonder who the Original Witch was.

"I know, and for me to contact her, I'll need help," Gloria met Rebekah's eyes, "Your necklace."

"It's lost," Rebekah said stiffly, "It's been lost for decades."

"Don't tell me that is what you need," Klaus said dangerously, "Do not tell me that is what you need to contact the Original Witch."

Gloria sat back and folded her hands.

"What are you doing?" Stephanie asked, on edge and waspish.

"Not telling Klaus that the thing he needs to contact the Original Witch is Rebekah's necklace," Gloria said easily and Klaus stood, knocking his chair back, and he roared in anger. His whole body trembled in rage and Stephanie stood and under Gloria's penetrating gaze, placed a hand onto Klaus' bicep.

His eyes were pure ice as he turned them onto Stephanie, but she didn't let go. The trembling ceased minimally and Klaus spasmodically said to Gloria, "We'll be back in a bit; going to go cool off a bit. Hope you don't mind."

Stephanie felt Gloria's eyes on her the entire time she kept her fingers wrapped around Klaus' arm as she followed him out of the speakeasy. Rebekah was right behind her, hand on Stephanie's shoulder.

They walked out of the building together and Rebekah took point. "Where will we be staying, Nik? I'm certainly not going to Steph's ratty old apartment." Her eyes cut to Stephanie's. "No offense meant, of course."

"None taken," Stephanie murmured, and then suggested, "A hotel?"

"Only the best," Rebekah sniffed and towed her brother and her friend behind her as she set her sights on a grandiose place for them to spend the night.

* * *

Damon walked into the place that used to be a speakeasy and whistled appreciatively at its new club décor. His eyes swept the place until he found Gloria at the bar, looking as beautiful as she always has.

"Well, look at what the wind blew in," She smiled, "Last I heard, you hated this place."

"Gloria?" Damon asked, "Damn, if I knew you were going to age like this, I'd have stuck around."

She snorted laughter, "I always did like you better," and she patted his hand, "I see your sister is still running in the wrong crowds."

"You've seen her?" Damon asked hopefully.

"With Klaus and Rebekah," Gloria confirmed as she poured another drink, "That's a bad mix."

"You know where they all went?" Damon asked with narrow eyes.

Gloria sighed. "They'll be back later tonight."

"What did they leave for?" Damon raised his eyebrows.

Gloria arched one of her own. "You're cute, but I can't tell you that. You're still a vampire and I still help Klaus out as a favor. I'm all for you getting Stephanie away from that duo, but you're on your own as for the how."

Damon leant forwards on the bar. "Gloria, tell me the truth," He gave her a winning smile and then became serious, "Was Stephanie really with Klaus in the twenties?"

Gloria gave him a look. "You didn't know?"

Damon cursed colorfully. "Are they now?"

The witch looked thoughtfully at the drink she was making. "Their relationship wasn't as extravagant as it was in the twenties, but there's something there." She looked up. "If you don't make your move soon, it won't matter if you get her away from Klaus; I don't think she will want to go."

* * *

Caroline hung in her chair, tired and weak and her voice was hoarse from screaming. Her father sat in the corner of the prison cell, telling her how sorry he'd been when he'd found out she was a vampire, that he'd cried.

"Dad, I'm okay," Caroline whispered raspingly, "I learned to control it; I don't need to be fixed. I can't be fixed." She felt a sob building in her throat and she choked on it.

"You can be fixed," Bill assured her and crouched down by his daughter's side. "I need you to try your best now." He put a blood bag in front of her and Caroline looked up immediately. "You're doing it."

"I can't," Caroline shook her head.

"Yes, you can, fight the urge," Bill said.

"Daddy, I'm starving," Caroline cried.

"No, you are not," Bill told her sternly.

"Why?" She sobbed, "Why are you trying to fix me?"

"So I don't have to kill you!" Bill nearly shouted and Caroline turned to look at her father, shocked. He moved away.

"Daddy, 'm sorry."

"The sun's gone down. We'll try again tomorrow." He put a hand on top of her head before leaving her alone, shutting and locking her in.

Caroline stiffened when she heard her mother and felt hope stirring in her gut. Then she heard Tyler and she stifled a sob. When a gun was fired, she flinched, but breathed a sigh of relief when Tyler came in for her.

"Tyler," She breathed.

"I'm going to get you out of here," He promised.

* * *

Stephanie, Klaus, and Rebekah made their way back to Gloria's refurnished club showered, fed, and calmer than when they'd left together earlier that afternoon.

"So?" Gloria asked as she slid Klaus a beer.

"I've decided I'll wait until the morning to make any decisions," Klaus grimaced.

Gloria quirked an eyebrow. "That's responsible of you."

"It was my idea," Rebekah bared her teeth and the witch nodded before leaving them to themselves.

Stephanie sipped at her own drink and quietly listened to the conversations of the room until she turned her head and saw Damon inclining his own.

"I need another drink," She announced, "A real one."

"I'll come with you," Rebekah said, smiling.

"I'll be fine," Stephanie assured her as she slid off of her stool, "I just want some time to myself for a moment. I won't run," She told Klaus.

His eyes were clear as he turned to her and they held something Stephanie hadn't seen in them directed at her in a long time: trust. She ignored the pang in her chest as she left the two of them behind followed Damon out to the side alley.

Stephanie sped towards him and gripped his shirt front. "What is wrong with you?" She demanded, nearly roaring in anger.

"What is wrong with _you_?" Damon snapped as he shrugged Stephanie off. "You feed Jeremy your blood and snap his neck and then save me the next. What are you, good, bad, pick one!"

"Are Elena and Jeremy with you?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes, and neither with go anywhere until you've been checked into vampire rehab; trust me, I've tried!" Damon said, waving a hand.

"Elena is the key to everything! Klaus can't make hybrids while she's alive and if he finds that out, she's dead, you're dead, all of Mystic Falls is dead, and so am I!" Stephanie whispered angrily at him.

"Oh, I'm sure you would survive," Damon leered.

"What does that mean?" Stephanie growled.

"Katherine told me about yours and Klaus' rendezvous over the years and Gloria confirmed it!" Damon said and Stephanie paled.

"We're not, we're not together right now," Stephanie told him quietly.

Damon snorted. "That's not what it looks like to Gloria. Klaus has a soft spot large than the Sahara Desert for you!"

Stephanie felt her fingers nervously twitch and tap her thigh and Damon looked down at her, his angry expression softening a little. "I haven't told Elena or Jeremy, and I won't. If they find out, they find out on their own. Your secret is safe with me."

Stephanie felt a flood of relief before she hardened with resolve.

"You need to tell Elena and Jeremy to go home and forget about me, Damon," Stephanie told him, "Gloria is about five seconds from figuring out why Klaus can't make any hybrids and when she does, Elena will be killed."

"Tell them yourself," Damon said and his eyes shot to the side. Stephanie followed them and saw the Gilbert siblings racing towards them. He disappeared back into the bar to distract Klaus and Rebekah.

"You shouldn't be here," Stephanie told Jeremy and Elena firmly when they were two feet apart.

"Where else would we be?" Jeremy asked her.

"What do you want?" Stephanie asked quietly, almost whispering, "Klaus won't be distracted for long, Rebekah even shorter."

"Come home," Elena whispered and Jeremy closed the distance between he and Stephanie, wrapping his arms around her. Stephanie responded, hugging him back and breathing in his familiar scent until she felt his arm reached back. She blurred backwards, taking a hold of Jeremy's hand that was holding a syringe of vervain tightly.

"How much more clear can I be?" Stephanie snarled and shoved Jeremy's hand, "I don't want to come home! Klaus is obsessed with siring his hybrids; the second he knows you're alive," She turned to Elena, "he'll figure out why it's not working."

They were silent.

"I don't care," Elena stated, "Come home."

"And what do you expect if I do?" Stephanie demanded, "Huh? It's never going to be the same!"

"I know that," Jeremy shouted back, "We know that!"

"You don't!" Stephanie told him, "I've left bodies scattered from Florida to Tennessee; hundreds, thousands."

"Lexi found you like this once before," Elena said, "And she saved you. She can do it again."

"And you know what I did after that?" Stephanie asked them, "I spend thirty years pulling myself together. That's nothing to me, but to you and Jeremy? It's half of your lifetime."

"I can't give up on you," Jeremy said.

"You can," Stephanie told him quietly, "It's done. I don't want to see you, I don't want to be with you," She stepped back and shook her head, "I just want you to go." Stephanie turned and left them in the parking lot and forced herself to not look back, not even when Elena started to cry.

Or when Jeremy started to howl.

* * *

Damon made his way back to the car, wincing and rubbing his chest. He found Jeremy sitting in the back seat, alone, staring forwards and Elena in the front, sniffling.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked at length when he settled into his seat. Elena's hand found his, but she shook her head.

"Just drive," Jeremy said, monotone. So Damon drove.

* * *

"Your brother came for a visit while you were out," Rebekah informed Stephanie when she returned. Stephanie's stepped faltered, but she continued to walk to the bar to meet them.

Klaus smirked but his eyes were suspicious, "Did you run into him on the way out?"

"No," Stephanie said listlessly and Klaus frowned.

"Is something the matter? Besides our missing necklace dilemma?" Klaus asked as he stood.

"Bad meal," Stephanie told him.

"You should have let me come," Rebekah pouted, "I hate when you get all broody after you've been alone."

"Let's all go back out again tonight," Klaus grinned and his hands rested on Steph's shoulders. "What do you say?" The pain was so great in Stephanie it almost blocked out the pounding for blood in her head, but nothing really sated that for long. She wanted to shut it all off . . .

Her thoughts must have shown on her face because Klaus took her hand and led her out of Gloria's bar, telling the witch that they'd be back the next day to locate the missing necklace.

"We'll meet you back at the hotel later, Bekah," Klaus told his sister and met her eyes over Stephanie's head and the blonde huffed, but nodded.

"We'll go shopping in the morning then," She said firmly and Klaus agreed, making the Original disappear.

"Now then, love," Klaus looked down at Steph, "Let's go to party, then, shall we? There'll be wine and tasty people and beautiful clothes for you to admire."

"I'm not Rebekah," Stephanie murmured but let herself be led away.

"There are still all of the delicious people, then," Klaus replied with a wink as he hailed a cab. "Lighten up, love. We'll have a blast." As they slipped into the taxi and Klaus compelled the driver, who smelled lovely, Stephanie nodded.

They arrived at a closed private shop that they broke into and raced around, finding a tux for Klaus and a skin tight emerald green dress with some heels for Stephanie. They changed and went back to their taxi with just a enough time to keep from being caught by the police.

Blood pumping with the chase, Stephanie tried to forget Jeremy's brown hair and passionate eyes and pink lips.

"Where to next, love?" Klaus' grin was infectious.

"Anywhere," Stephanie told him.

"A gala it is, then. It'll be fantastic."


	4. i want to be your obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But I gave you all  
> But you rip it from my hands  
> And you swear it's all gone  
> And you rip out all I have  
> Just to say that you've won  
> Well now you've won."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes used/modified.
> 
> I am so, so sorry that this is extremely, monumentally late. But it's here now! Um, Merry belated Christmas? 
> 
> Link to the dress Steph wears briefly towards the beginning of the fic: www. .uk/ Pied+a+Terre+Long+ sleeve+ slinky+ jersey+ dress/ 165470520, default,

"I still can't believe that today's women dress like prostitutes."

Stephanie looked up from her place on the couch and in Klaus' reach to see Rebekah stalking out of a dressing room to twirl in front of them, her dressing sticking to her slender body like glue. Klaus rolled his eyes at his little sister's drama and sent Stephanie a sly smile that she returned before sipping her glass of white wine.

"I rather like it," Klaus mused with a mischievous grin and a cocked eyebrow.

"I still remember getting dirty looks for wearing trousers," Rebekah said sourly, a crease forming between her eyes.

Klaus smirked back at her and tipped the bottle of beer into his mouth, taking a long drink before lowering it again. "You wore trousers so that women in the 21st century could wear nothing; be proud of your accomplishments."

Rebekah glowered. "And this music is absolutely horrible."

"It's dance music," Stephanie pointed out, "And you've heard it before."

"The music industry has declined startlingly quickly," Rebekah sniffed and reached forwards, snagging Stephanie's glass of wine. She took a dainty sip and sat herself onto the coffee table in front of her friend and brother, sighing.

"Are we done here, yet?" Klaus drawled with real irritation.

"You promised to take me shopping," Rebekah said flatly, "You can't back out now and we've only been here for two hours." She turned to Stephanie and arched an eyebrow. "Tell Nik he can't back out now, Steph."

"Yes Stephanie, love, do tell," Klaus leered. Steph kept an easy smile on her face despite her slight discomfiture.

She'd drank some of Klaus' blood, and while it had been to save her from werewolf venom, it had been extremely intimate and old feelings had started to resurface faster than the slow pace they'd been returning at. Stephanie could almost feel the lingering touches of Klaus' mind in hers; his simultaneous warm exterior and cold façade for other people; the overpowering obsession and love he had for Steph; and the hint of madness that lurked just beneath his blue, blue eyes.

Instead of addressing Klaus and her confusing feelings, Stephanie turned to Rebekah. "I think that's a beautiful dress, Bekah."

The blonde Original smiled prettily at her friend, eyes twinkling with pleasure. "Thank you, Steph." She turned an unimpressed look onto Klaus. "Why can't you ever give me nice compliments?"

"Why should I have to when you have Stephanie here to do that for both me and her?" Klaus quirked an eyebrow at her and ignored the following shriek of indignation. He called from one of the compelled attendants as Rebekah stormed off to change into another dress, and a pretty ginger woman with curly hair walked over to them in a slight daze. Her eyes were dark chocolate brown and would have been beautiful if it weren't for the dead look in them that accompanied compulsion.

"What can I do to help you, Mr. Klaus?" She murmured and Stephanie winced at the flat tone of her voice.

"Come over here darling, yes, that's right," Klaus said and the woman settled herself in between Stephanie and Klaus. The Hybrid met Steph's gaze as he bent over the redhead's neck, brushing the woman's curly hair over her shoulder. "Join me for a drink, love?" He leant in and Stephanie watched hungrily as Klaus' eyes turned gold and spidery black veins crawled down his face to accompany the sharp canines that elongated.

He slipped his needlepoint teeth into the soft flesh of the attendant's neck and a red rivulet trickled down from the broken skin, making blood rush to Stephanie's face and cause her fangs to drop. She was on the woman not a moment later, gripping her shoulder and knee as her teeth buried themselves into the attendant's neck. Warm, sweet blood slid down Stephanie's throat, soothing the burn and ache in her stomach, but it regrettably did not fill her.

She didn't pull away until she heard the woman's neck snap. Stephanie reluctantly lifted her head a moment later when the blood had been drained and she saw Klaus' face.

Klaus leant in close to Stephanie and breathed into her ear, "Why don't you go try on that dress?" She looked up and followed his gaze to a beautiful red dress hanging on a rack a few meters away from them. Stephanie's eyes flitted back to Klaus', but his grin encouraged her. Rebekah stepped out of the dressing room in another outfit and she quickly tagged onto the train to get Stephanie to try clothes on.

Eventually Stephanie reluctantly acquiesced, and she walked over and grabbed the dress and went to the changing room.

She stepped out in it a moment later and tried not to be too uncomfortable; it was bright red and form fitting, going down to her knees. It hugged her tiny waste and the sleeves went just passed her elbows. She wore black tights underneath and a slim pair of dark high heels that raised her height from 5'2" to 5'4". Klaus gave her an undecipherable look and the corner of his mouth turned up in a genuine smile, as opposed to one of his usual leers or smirks.

"You look ravishing," He finally drawled and he stood with all of his languished limbs and predatory eyes.

Rebekah's eyes swept her from until she nodded, deeming the dress acceptable. "It's lovely," She smiled.

Klaus walked towards her and trailed a finger up her arm. "What do you say to finishing off the staff and then heading back over to Gloria's, my lovelies?"

Rebekah snorted derisively to the term, but agreed, and Stephanie nodded as well, lips slight parted as Klaus' eyes focused on her mouth.

He nodded and motioned over another staff member. He gave Stephanie wicked smile. "Try not to ruin the dress, love; I rather like this one."

Stephanie blinked, but made no promises. Once unleashed, the Ripper really was something savage; she didn't think that the dress would survive the afternoon at all.

* * *

Blink.

Blink.

Jeremy lied in his bed, thoughts dark and hazy from the aftereffects of smoking a quarter of a bag of pot in a single morning. His head rolled on his pillow to look at a disapproving Anna, who glowered at him. He blew a ring of smoke into her face.

She glared harder. "You're going to kill yourself doing this," Anna snapped.

"I'll have plenty of company, at least," Jeremy tried to string the words together but he wasn't sure if the ghost understood a word of what he'd muttered.

"You're an idiot," Anna growled and sat up abruptly, "You don't want to be dead."

"I wish you were gone and Vicki was here," Jeremy slurred and felt Anna's irritation grow. "She doesn't bug me when I get high. She just wants me and Matt to bring her back." He rolled his eyes and slumped back into his bed.

"What?"

Jeremy turned over and ignored Anna's half strangled question, snuggling into his pillow.

"Jeremy, what are you talking about?" Anna demanded and her voice was annoying and tinny to his ears. "You can't let Vicki cross over into his plane!"

"Why not?" He grumbled sleepily.

"Because she's bad news!" Anna replied angrily, "You can't trust her!" She started to flicker in and out of existence and she groaned until she finally left with a sharp pop. Jeremy couldn't help but be relieved that she was gone, but just as he thought he'd be able to sleep in peace, Jeremy heard footsteps tromping up the stairs and his door flew open.

"Jeremy, get up; it's nearly noon," Elena's fake cheery voice said in his doorway.

"I can smell your bad chili downstairs," Jeremy said instead of addressing Elena's frustrated statement.

The distraction worked for a moment as she growled, "Chili is a traditional Gilbert family food; we bring them to the Lockwood potluck every two years! People need to get over it and eat the chili!"

Jeremy sat up and squinted blearily at his sister. "Calm the hell down, Elena; it's only chili." He mumbled a little more and slipped back into bed. To his consternation, Elena just stepped into his room and stalked to his bed and ripped the blankets off of him

She bent down and lifted one of his eyelids and her face tightened in anger. "You're high," She said flatly.

"As a kite," Jeremy giggled.

"I think Jeremy's handling this poorly, but I understand his sentiment," A voice said from the door and the Gilberts looked up to see a frowning Caroline and a slightly amused Bonnie. "I mean, I'm upset about Steph, but getting high isn't the answer. By the way," the vampire shot Elena a look, "I'm still mad that you guys totally left me out of the loop about Chicago and Tennessee and wherever else you guys tracked Stephanie." She sniffed and crossed her arms, while Bonnie said nothing, staring down at her hands with feigned disinterest.

"I think they're full of shit and that you should handle this however you need to," Vicki reassured Jeremy in his ear as she popped into existence on his bed. "But you really need to sober up if you're going to bring me back."

Elena snapped her fingers in front of Jeremy's face and he turned back to her, irritated.

"That's not going to do any good, Elena," Bonnie said after a minute, "He's not going to understand anything while he's under the influence; you might as well let him sleep it off before you lecture."

Elena looked like she'd rather disagree, but she got up and quickly got her friends to search Jeremy's room for his stash.

"That's not cool," Jeremy said and stood, swaying, "Get out of my room."

Caroline was at his side in a second and pushed him back to his bed. "Go to sleep," She murmured, blue eyes sad and a little hurt. Jeremy's addled mind remembered what Elena had said Caroline's dad had done to her the day before and so he let his legs buckle underneath him until he was on his bed again.

He curled up and ignored Elena's triumphant noise as she found his stash, and he let his eyes close as the three girls left. Vicki sat still on his bed, murmuring comforting words until he passed out.

* * *

Damon walked side by side with Sheriff Forbes, the force of the sun beating down on the back of his neck. He kept his mind off of sensitive topics and on his friend as she explained that her gay ex-husband, Bill, had tortured Caroline in an underground cellar the entire previous day with sunlight and vervain in order to "help" her.

"So you want me to compel him?" Damon clarified.

"I would be extremely grateful," Liz sighed.

"Can't we just kill him?" Damon asked with a twist of his lips, but he was deadly serious. Liz gave him a foul look.

"No, Damon; he's Caroline's father," She said flatly and her hand twitched to the gun at her belt.

"Steph and I killed our father," Damon offered and Liz flinched. "He was a douche bag. Kind of like Bill."

"Just because you and I are on good terms," Liz said uncomfortably, "doesn't mean I advocate your lifestyle."

"Is that what you told Bill when you got two got divorced?" Damon teased and Liz just gave him a _look._ Her mouth twitched a little though, almost forming a smile, so Damon knew he hadn't offended one of his only two adult friends. They walked down under the old Forbes building and to the cellar underneath, where Liz cautioned Damon to make sure there was no vervain left in Bill's system.

Happy to oblige, Damon gave the only man Forbes a leer before sinking his elongated canines into his neck. He turned back to look at Liz. "Vervain free."

"Just erase his memories then, Damon, no need for petty revenge," Liz snapped.

Damon rose from his crouch though and circled Bill curiously. "What makes you think you can change the basic nature of a vampire?"

"The mind's a powerful tool," The man replied coolly. "It can be trained and retrained; you just have to be strong enough."

Damon felt a wrenching in his gut, but he plastered a smirk onto his face as he clapped Bill on the shoulder. "That's great. I happen to be a big fan of mind control myself." He took Bill's face with one hand and held the rest of his head steady with the other. " _You will leave town immediately. All you remember is that you came to bring your daughter to back to school shopping."_

* * *

Stephanie, Klaus, and Bekah made their way back to Gloria's bar, where the witch set to meditating for the locket's location. Rebekah lounged on the bar in jean short shorts and a beautiful pale blouse and eyed the witch with cool disdain. Klaus sat back in a stool and Stephanie sat in between the siblings on her own seat.

True to her thoughts, the dress hadn't made it, but Stephanie was fine with that, comfortable in her skinny jeans, boots, tee shirt and leather jacket. She tucked a strand of straight hair behind her hair and she watched Gloria intensely, her anxiety growing as time passed and the witch became closer and closer to finding out the truth. Would she discover Stephanie's secret? Would she keep it and lie to the Originals? What was worse?

Gloria sighed and opened her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Klaus snapped, "Why are you failing?"

"I have nothing to go on," Gloria said calmly as she met the irate Hybrid's gaze. Rebekah hopped off the bar and flitted to the witch's side before Klaus could start one of temper tantrums.

"Use me then," Rebekah said easily, "I only wore the thing for a thousand years."

"Thanks for thinking of this earlier," Klaus drawled, eyes narrowed. Rebekah stuck her tongue out at him before giving Gloria her arm. The witch took her wrist and started to murmur in Latin, while Stephanie shifted in her stool, uncomfortable.

"I can sense something," Gloria said suddenly and all three supernatural creatures straightened. Stephanie gripped the bottom of her stool tightly, indenting the metal. Gloria continued to murmur, but it grew louder into almost chanting as the words poured from her mouth in her husky voice.

Her eyes flew open and Stephanie saw a spark of something suspicious in her eyes. "I found it," Gloria told Klaus.

"So where is it?" Rebekah asked urgently.

"It doesn't work like that, doll," Gloria backtracked, "I only get images. There's a girl and her friends . . ."

"Yes, a dead girl with her dead friends, if I don't get my necklace back," Rebekah said coldly and Stephanie forced herself to school her features into neutrality. "Tell us what else you _do_ know."

"I'll dive back in to get the details," Gloria said.

"So dive," Klaus said as he rose and walked over to the witch smoothly, but his grace didn't fool Steph; the casual threat to Gloria was clear.

"I need time," Gloria snapped and when Klaus didn't move, added, "And space. Look, you're harshing my juju."

"We can wait," Klaus smirked, his blue eyes flashing and his red lips curling up into a dangerous smile.

"I know you can," Gloria nodded and locked eyes with him, "But that's not what I meant." The atmosphere tensed and Stephanie slipped towards Klaus and tangled her fingers through his. Klaus looked down at her, surprised.

"Hey," Stephanie murmured, "we'll just come back later. I'm hungry anyway." She could see that Klaus was almost on board, so she leant in close and nearly whispered, "I'll let you pick who we eat." Klaus grinned and Stephanie let go of his hand and gently rubbed his shoulder before leading the way. She looked over her shoulder to see Rebekah and Klaus exchanging looks before they followed her out of the bar.

They made their way to downtown Chicago and found a nearly empty club. They quickly went inside and Steph locked the door behind her and Rebekah pulled the curtains. Less than a minute later, the screams started.

* * *

Damon scowled down at the placard that read FELL FAMILY CHILI and looked across the picnic table at Alaric. "Let me tell you a little secret, Rick; founder's parties are just excused for the council to gather in the broom closets to talk about vampires."

Alaric gave him a half grin of acknowledgment and he grabbed a bottle of beer before moving to walk at Damon's side. They walked throat the property and the bright sunshine together and Damon could faintly spy Elena, Barbie, and Judgy across the quad with a magic juju book.

"What are they doing?" Alaric asked quietly.

"Elena's necklace wigged out on her and burned her chest," Damon admitted almost silently with his eyebrows furrowed. "Judgy's trying to see what's wrong."

"Damon?" A voice interrupted and Damon and Rick turned to see Sheriff Forbes hovering. "The Council just called a meeting and you're needed." She nodded and the two of them left together.

They reached the Lockwood home and settled in the sitting room, where Carol Lockwood stood and commenced the meeting. She assured everyone that everything was fine; there were no vampires in Mystic Falls any longer, or at least, no attacks.

"It's been quiet," Liz added.

Carol nodded and let everyone go, and the Sheriff, Mayor and vampire gathered at the back of the room. A voice interrupted them.

"I have a question."

They turned around and Carol greeted Bill Forbes. "Bill."

"I have a question," Bill Forbes repeated, "Do you three think the Council or clueless or just stupid?"

* * *

Stephanie bit into the neck of a man she'd compelled to be silent after their chase and nearly moaned as the blood filled her mouth and slid down her throat. The attractive blonde man was nearly in her lap as she drained him and Klaus sat in the cushioned chair next to hers, drinking his own meal. Rebekah had finished and was impatiently waiting for them to conclude.

"Mine's dead; I'm bored," Rebekah said flatly a moment later.

Klaus disengaged from the neck of the woman he was draining and ignored his sister's complaints as he looked at Stephanie appreciatively. "You weren't kidding about being hungry."

Stephanie forced herself away from the man's neck and with blood dripping down her chin and spidery black veins still crawling down her eyes, accentuating her sharp fangs, she grinned at Klaus. "It's been a long day."

"Probably related to her," Klaus nodded his head towards Rebekah.

"You shouldn't be so mean to your sister," Stephanie said, grinning.

"Thank you, Stephanie," Rebekah sniffed, "Nik, stop making me seem like a brat."

"If the shoe fits," Klaus trailed off and tilted his head to miss a shoe that flew towards his head. "Naughty, naughty." He admonished.

"I'm not a brat," Rebekah snapped.

"A thousand years evidences says differently," Klaus told her but his eyes twinkled with mirth as Rebekah stomped her foot angrily. "Don't be like that; you know I love you."

Rebekah rolled her eyes and said dramatically, "If you really loved me, you wouldn't tease me so." Klaus and Stephanie both snorted.

Rebekah narrowed her eyes. "You have a brother. Is he this infuriating to you?"

Stephanie felt herself stiffen under the sudden gazes of Klaus and Rebekah and forced herself to laugh. "Damon's a dick; of course he's infuriating." And that seemed to settle the matter.

She stood and stretched, shoving the body to the floor where it landed with a hollow thump. "I need to go do something," She said vaguely and knew that neither would stop her; they'd think she was going to her apartment to write the man's name – Julian Walker – on a wall. She was, of course, but she had a detour to make before.

She went back to Gloria's to find the witch waiting for her at the bar. "There you are," Gloria said.

"I thought you were resting," Stephanie said lightly as she approached and stood across Gloria with her arms folded over her chest.

"Well, now we both have a secret," Gloria said sagely with a wink.

"What did you see?" Stephanie cut to the chase, tired of being so evasive all the time.

"It's what I heard that was interesting," Gloria told Stephanie with arched eyebrows, "The girls were talking about you."

"And yet . . . you didn't tell Klaus," Stephanie asked as she tilted her head and felt real confusion, but refused to let it show on her features. "Why?"

"Because I wouldn't help that Hybrid half-breed with anything," Gloria snorted and something in Stephanie tightened at the derision in the witch's tone. Something must have shown on her face. "Problem?"

"No," Steph lied easily.

"The necklace is talisman," Gloria continued, "from the Original Witch herself. I want it."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," Stephanie said stiffly as she turned to leave. Gloria called after her, making Steph pause.

"You know, I'd hate to have to tell Klaus what a liar his little girlfriend is," She drawled and Stephanie spun around, charging towards the witch to wring her neck. Gloria stopped Steph in her tracks with an aneurism, making Stephanie choke and her fingers weakly clutched at her head as she dropped to the floor. She landed on her knees and curled into herself, fingers netting into her thick dark hair.

"Guess I've got to get it out of you the hard way, huh?" They were the last words Stephanie heard before everything dimmed into an abrupt black nothingness.

She came to, stripped to her underthings while she shivered on the cold stone table. Stephanie examined herself and found nothing was strapping her down, but she still couldn't move, bound by magic. She turned her head to see Gloria taking out a wicked sharp knife that was several inches long. The room they were in was dark except for the candles that surrounded them, giving the seemingly underground space a haunting feel.

Stephanie's breathing was ragged as she asked, "What is this? Why can't I move?"

"Relax, it's just a little paralysis spell," Gloria waved off Stephanie's concern, "Nothing major." Stephanie struggled as the witch came towards her and grabbed Stephanie's forearms, making a long precise cut down the inside. She pressed her lips together to keep from groaning and bit her tongue on the shout that threatened to crawl up her throat.

She carefully did not think about Fredrick and the damp, dark cellar she'd been kept in.

"I'm going to get the information out of your pretty little head somehow," Gloria told her as she made her way to Steph's other side and cut into her left forearm. "You know, witches nowadays are into that new age stuff, but me? I'm a little more old-school voodoo." She walked back over to her box of things that Stephanie wasn't sure she wanted to know was all in there.

"This'll stop that pesky healing," Gloria called over her shoulder and turned back with something small and metal that she wedged into Stephanie's wrists. The vampire couldn't hold back her scream and it bounced off of the walls, echoing in the chamber shrilly.

"I won't tell you anything," Stephanie ground out when she could manage the pain.

"You don't have to," Gloria said pityingly. "Feel that? That's your essence, your spirit; it lets me make a connection." She shrugged. "The herbs help too." The witch rattled off some herbs that Stephanie knew of and a few that she didn't. "But my personal favorite is vervain." She turned back to Stephanie and Steph's heart raced, thudding noisily in her ears as Gloria reached her.

The witch's hands were coated in the herbs and she placed them onto Stephanie abdomen and Steph threw back her head and let out a piercing scream. It seemed like hours later when Gloria removed her hands from Stephanie's clenched stomach, and Steph heaved.

"I'll give you this; you have a lot of endurance," Gloria told Stephanie, "But that won't help you much longer." She walked away and out of Stephanie's line of view and Steph sagged on the table.

She stifled tears as she swallowed thickly and tried to move, but it made her wince in pain. Gloria came back a moment later and crooned, "Just let go, honey." She placed her vervain soaked hands onto Stephanie's shoulders this time.

"There we go, there we go," Gloria murmured and images flashed in front of Stephanie's eyes and she could feel them transferring to the old witch. "There's the girl with the necklace; she's your friend and . . . you love her little brother. You'd do anything for them and you have. There's a lot of darkness and a lot of guilt. Klaus was after the girl . . . why the interest?"

Stephanie shook her head helplessly, choking on her screams. "Please, please, please."

"She's the doppelgänger," Gloria found and finally let her go, "She's supposed to be dead and that's why Klaus can't make his Hybrids, isn't it?" She laughed for several minutes as Stephanie writhed with pain on the now warm table.

There was a great crash on the other side of the room and suddenly Gloria was in Nik's chokehold, spluttering. Rebekah's deft fingers were at Stephanie's aid, undoing the metal in Steph's wrists. Stephanie heard Klaus roar obscenities at Gloria and then the sharp sound of a neck snapping reached Stephanie's ears.

The spell's hold on Stephanie evaporated immediately and then Klaus was at her side instantly, settling himself onto the table and offering his neck. Steph was unable to refuse the opportunity, for her body was flaring with pain and dizziness and the allure of Klaus' blood was tantalizingly strong.

His hands guided her to his neck and Stephanie's needlepoint teeth buried themselves into the Hybrid's vein for the second time in days. The euphoria that had accompanied the time the other day returned and Stephanie felt her wounds healing instantaneously.

Klaus' mind melded with hers and the feeling of rightness returned to her once more. She heard the Hybrid sigh with pleasure before disentangling Stephanie's sharp teeth from his tender skin.

"Not that that wasn't romantic," Rebekah said stiffly, "But we need to leave." The worry was clear in her voice, and it was the only thing that could have made Stephanie get up in that moment. Her wounds had all healed and she felt vigorous and lively again.

She didn't protest as Klaus took her hand inside of his.

* * *

Damon escaped the Lockwood property and found Alaric and Elena and they huddled on the lawn.

"Houston, we have a problem," Damon told them quietly.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked quickly, worried.

"It would seem that Bill Forbes is impervious to compulsion," Damon said quickly, eyes darting around them.

"What? How is that possible?" Rick demanded.

"I don't know, but he threatened to out to me to the Council; and don't get me started on how ironic _that_ is," Damon snapped, "He thinks that the Council's been compromised."

"It kind of has been," Alaric told his friend.

"He wants to put vervain in the town water supply!" Damon exclaimed.

"Maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea," Elena told Damon gently.

"Of course it would be," Damon snapped, "I drink coffee, which I use tap water for, along with washing my car, taking showers, and watering my garden."

"You have a garden?" Alaric asked with raised eyebrows.

"That's the only thing you picked up from that?! And did I mention he wants to kill me?"

"Calm down," Elena separated the two men, "We need to talk about this rationally, together. Let's get home, work this out-"

"I'm going to kill him," Damon talked over her, "That should set some things straight."

"Damon, no," Elena protested, but Damon brushed passed her. Alaric put a hand on Damon's chest and pushed him backwards.

"You don't want to do this," He said lowly, but Damon sneered.

"I really do," He said, before snapping Alaric's neck and leaving Elena fearful for Bill Forbes continued safety.

* * *

Stephanie crashed when the three of them returned to their hotel that evening. Her wounds had been healed but she knew she'd have a few nights of terrible dreams, which was what her mind dwelled on as she curled up onto her bed. Her fingers brushed the fabric of the flower patterned bedspread, twisting a loose string until it come undone. She could hear Rebekah rummaging around on her side of the room until the Original sat down onto Steph's bed. Stephanie blinked owlishly at her.

"You were tortured," Rebekah pursed her lips and Stephanie said nothing. Bekah regarded the other girl carefully. "You appear unbothered." It was a flat statement.

"Gloria didn't hurt me as much as some of my past torturers have," Stephanie said darkly and snorted, laying her head down onto her pillow.

Rebekah's eyes narrowed. "Who else has hurt you?" I'll hunt them down and kill them, went unsaid. Stephanie liked the sentiment.

"A lot of people over the years," Stephanie said vaguely, "Did I ever tell you about the time Damon and I were caught in New Orleans by a circus? Patrick Gallagher." She shuddered.

Rebekah still wasn't appeased. "There's something else . . . that man Klaus saw in your mind. He did something to you."

Stephanie felt the blood drain from her body. Two thoughts of Fredrick in the same day were two too many. She wanted to forget about the horrid vampire and being caught and tortured and then questioned by Rebekah really wasn't helping her to achieve that particular goal.

"That's it," Rebekah leant forwards on the bed and narrowed her eyes again. "Something to do with that vampire. What did he do?"

Steph avoided her eyes.

"I'm not going to compel you," Rebekah huffed as she sat back. "I just want to know."

"Sometimes ignorance is better than knowledge," Stephanie said through nearly motionless lips, but she locked eyes with Rebekah and allowed the Original to peer into her head. Rebekah's blue eyes widened as she took in a few images from that nasty night. Stephanie jerked her head away when it became too much and blinked.

Rebekah wrapped an arm around Stephanie, to the younger's surprise, and pulled her in for a quick hug. "I'm sorry."

"It's over and done with; forget it." Stephanie told her quietly.

"You carry it with you always," Rebekah told her gently, "and it will hover like a black shadow on your soul unless you talk about it."

Stephanie turned onto her other side, ignoring the Original as she shut her eyes tightly and tried to force herself to sleep. She heard Rebekah sigh, but eventually the other vampire settled into her own bed.

* * *

Jeremy's mind had cleared hours ago and he'd gone in to work to keep it that way. Matt had nodded when he'd come in and acted like nothing had happened, which was kind, Jeremy thought. He cleared tables and stacked plates and took orders like it was a usual day and not like Elena or Rick (or both) would be waiting for him at home when he got of his shift to lecture him about the dangers of smoking pot and moving on from psychotic, murderous girlfriends.

"Jeremy."

He jerked his head up and saw Vicki perched on a stool just in front of the stretch of counter he was wiping down.

"What are you doing here, Vicki?" He lowly asked out of the corner of his mouth, eyes aimed down at the wet spot.

"When are you going to tell Mattie that I need him to do something for me?" She twirled a lock of hair on one of her fingers distractedly, but her eyes were boring on the back of Jeremy's neck.

"I don't know," Jeremy muttered, "But-"

"Jeremy?"

He looked up and saw Bonnie, shooting him a very concerned glance. "Are you alright? You were talking to thin air."

"I wasn't," Jeremy shook his head and fought not to glare at Vicki.

"Are you still high?" The witch asked suspiciously.

"No," Jeremy snapped.

"Is there something wrong?" Bonnie gingerly took a seat and Jeremy felt a pang of guilt when she turned her anxious eyes on him. "Is there something I can do to help? Elena's worried about you, you know."

Jeremy shot a glance towards Vicki and bit his lip before turning back to Bonnie and her concerned look. "Maybe she can help," Jeremy muttered to Vicki, and the ghost reluctantly nodded her head after a baited moment.

"Jer?" Bonnie narrowed her eyes.

"Remember when you brought me back from the dead?"

Bonnie laughed stiltedly. "Um, yes; I can't really forget bringing my best friend's little brother back from the Other Side."

"Ever since then, I've been seeing ghosts," He said in a single breath.

Bonnie's eye widened. "Are you sure you're not high?"

"Bonnie!" Jeremy hissed, "This is serious and I am not high! I keep seeing Anna and Vicki and Logan Fell, among others."

The witch's eyebrows popped up and her mouth sagged open. "You're serious. How? Why?"

"That's what I'm asking you," Jeremy said quietly and his eyes swept the area before returning to Bonnie, "But Vicki asked me something."

Bonnie nodded, entranced by the story. "What does she want?" She asked suspiciously.

"She wants to me to help bring her back."

* * *

"You can't just go around and kill people," Elena hissed, brown eyes flashing. She just couldn't believe Damon, sometimes! She knew Bill was a jackass, but he didn't deserve to die. "That was Rick and Caroline's dad!"

They were walking side by side through the yard together, while Alaric was pushing for the Council to let him on, seeing as he was kind of Elena and Jeremy's guardian and the fact that the a lot of the Council members (or the major ones, anyway) had . . . invested interest in the supernatural beings of their small town.

Caroline was waiting for Elena to come back, so they could go home together.

"Rick already came back to life and Bill Forbes was trying to expose me!" Damon glared at his girlfriend. "He would have had the Council hunt me down and kill me."

"Don't be dramatic," Elena rolled her eyes, "You would have been fine; we'd have found a way to deal with it."

"We don't have to deal with it at all now," Damon snapped with a fake grin.

"Damon," Elena barked and stopped, turning to face Damon in front of his car, "You shouldn't have killed Bill because he's Caroline's dad. She can't forgive you for that and I . . ."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "You, what, Elena?" He sneered.

"I . . . need some time away from you," Elena said, meeting Damon's gaze, "and Caroline needs me, so I won't need a ride home. Don't come by tonight, okay?"

"Not a problem, Elena," Damon sneered and he flashed away to the Boarding House.

"Time for something to drink," He muttered to himself and headed for the kitchen, his boots' clomping on the hard wood floor, echoing. A sharp and loud knock at his front door reverberated down the foyer, making Damon stiffen with irritation. He sighed, but Damon made his way back towards the front door and tilted his head when he saw Elena standing on the front porch.

"Come to apologize for thinking I shouldn't have killed Bill?" He drawled half-heartedly, not particularly wanting to continue to go another round with Elena.

"You two fighting? You guys hardly ever have domestic spats," The girl in front of him let her lip curl into a smug smirk and Damon groaned, hitting his head on the door jam.

"Katherine. Wonderful. What do you want?"

"I'm just a girl wanting a partner in crime," Katherine grinned, "Want to hit the road with me? Get the hell out of dodge?"

"Why would I do that, Katherine?" Damon drawled.

"You need a break from all of this," Katherine said, walking predatorily towards him, "From Elena and the leash they've put on you. They didn't even want to let you defend yourself from someone who wanted you dead." She pouted and curled her finger around her long, dark hair.

Damon felt his previous anger stir in his belly and his blue eyes danced. "Why not?"

"That's the spirit," Katherine smirked and she pulled something from her pocket. Damon looked closer and saw it was Elena's necklace that Damon had given her; the one that had burned her and Bonnie was investigating for further clues. "It's going to be worth it, I promise."

Damon forced the feeling of foreboding away and followed his maker.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Stephanie asked as her fingers tapped out a rhythm on her jean clad thigh in the front seat of their car. Rebekah was stretched out imperiously in the back seat while Klaus drove the car they'd been in for the last three hours.

"We're going to get another competent witch and I know just the place to find one," Klaus bared his teeth in something that mocked a grin. "Do you think Bonnie Bennett will be up for this, love?"

Stephanie felt her insides freeze before turning to ash and her fingers trembled, so she sat on them. She swallowed and let her eyes drift to Klaus' handsome face. "Don't you have other witches?"

"None quite as powerful as a Bennett, I'm afraid," Klaus admitted grudgingly and Stephanie saw them pass the familiar WELCOME TO MYSTIC FALLS sign that marked the town's borders. With each tree they passed, they came closer and closer to Klaus finding out Stephanie's secret.

She kept silent as they arrived at the school, where there were scattered cars littering about the lot.

"School's as good a place as any to start looking, don't you think, love?" Klaus drawled to Stephanie, and then looked back at his sister, "Rebekah, why don't you check out the little bird's house? She should be either here or there."

"Of course, Nik," Rebekah drawled and she slowly raised herself up and slipped from the car and into the dark night. Steph's eyes landed on the school entrance and licked her suddenly chapped lips. Her mouth tasted sour and she idly wondered whether Klaus would kill her or imprison her for what she'd done. She wondered which would be worse.

"Ready, love?"

It wasn't really a question, so Steph took the Hybrid's large, soft hand in her hers, feeling his long fingers wrap around hers. He squeezed her hand gently and Steph gave him a forced smile.

* * *

Matt huffed at the hundredth repetition and set the weights down when he heard the noise again; for the last half hour, there had been an irritating soft clicking every few minutes. He wiped the sweat off his brow and stood, walking slowly out of the weight room and down the halls of the empty school building. Shadows were cast on the lockers from classroom windows, giving the school an eerie look that wasn't exactly appreciated in a town full of vampires and werewolves and witches (oh my!).

He peeked through a doorway and something snapped on his foot, making him curse quietly and stumble. Matt flipped on the lights and was surprised to see Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler and Elena in the classroom, setting mouse traps all over the linoleum floor.

"Are you kidding me?" Caroline snapped as she stood, long blonde hair whipping around her shoulders. She was clearly livid, but she was off balance and her eyes were rimmed red.

"Forgot about Senior Prank Night, huh?" Tyler asked, only slightly condescendingly, which was better than what he would have been like this time last year.

"Yeah." Matt rubbed the back of his neck as Caroline's mouth shot off; admonishing him for forgetting something they'd been talking about since they'd been freshmen.

"If I'm doing this, you're doing this," Elena said quietly as she pointed something the rolled up piece of paper in her hand at Matt. There was a tension to the set of her shoulders that hadn't been there earlier and Matt wondered what was going on with her and Damon.

"I'm kind of surprised any of you are doing this," Matt said and wiped sweat off of his forehead and gestured at his friends.

"Caroline's been making us," Bonnie said.

"You haven't heard about Care's dad, have you?" Elena asked hesitantly and the blonde tensed up, eyes brimming again.

"What about him?" Matt asked, confused.

"Damon killed him," Caroline snapped, "But I can't just stay in my house and do nothing! I have to do something or I'll think about it and cry and cry again, and I just can't," Her voice broke and Tyler moved to place his arms around her.

"Care," Matt said, astonished, "You need some time to grieve, not time for pranks."

"We're about to be seniors," Caroline snapped through her tears, "These memories will be ones we'll carry around with us forever and I need a distraction. I'll grieve later." Matt and Elena exchanged uncomfortable looks that promised a conversation later.

"So, the faculty's room still needs super glue on the seats, wanna come with?" Tyler asked Matt in the awkward silence that followed Caroline letting go of the werewolf.

"Sure," The Quarter Back said and he followed his friend out, leaving Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena in the empty classroom.

"You want to come with me to glue Rick's desk shut?" Elena asked her friend quietly.

"I think I'll fix the mouse traps," The vampire said with a tightly wound smile. "But you go on."

"Care-"

"Just, please go, Elena," Caroline said and Elena gave up, nodding and filing out the door. She saw Tyler giving out some instructions to some of the other seniors and Matt hovering a little awkwardly before she rounded the corner.

"Hello there," Klaus loomed over her, "You're supposed to be dead." He tilted his head.

"Klaus," Elena whispered, teeth almost chattering in her fear and her knees knocked together.

"What are we going to do with you?" Klaus whispered as he stepped closer to her. He raised a hand and Elena stiffened as it dragged across her cheek with the gentlest of touches.

She shuddered.

* * *

"Are you hungry? Let's stop for a bite – a truck stop," Katherine turned to face Damon and wiggled her eyebrows, "a trucker."

Damon rolled his and kept his hand on the driving wheel. "Oh, stop being cute." They were driving in his blue mustang through the pitch black night with the radio playing some alternative track quietly.

"I don't think that's possible," Katherine said with little modestly and a large smile.

Damon's head rolled towards Katherine. "We've been driving around aimlessly for hours. Where are we going?"

"Far enough away so that you can't go running back," Katherine said dryly.

"Not to worry," Damon replied lowly, "I'm not in a real hurry to be chewed out for being a vampire by my girlfriend again."

"Poor Damon," Katherine said pityingly, "Your girlfriend decided after three years that you were too much of a monster for her?"

Damon's fingers tightened on the wheel. "Something like that," He muttered.

They were silent until Damon pulled into a rest area and stepped out of the car. He could see from her face that she was un-amused.

"Why are we stopping?" She snapped seconds later.

"Wanted to stretch my legs and get away from your weird sexual tension vibes you're sending out," Damon smirked. "I want a break from driving."

"Fine," Katherine sniffed and stalked around the car where Damon proffered her the keys. She reached for them, but Damon abruptly threw them with his enhanced strength. "Hey!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you spill your guts," Damon snarled as he crossed his arms and leant back against his car. "The last time we talked, you let off your bomb of Klaus and Stephanie's epic love. Then you just breeze back into town and somehow have Elena's necklace – that, somehow, is now burning her?"

"Fine," Katherine muttered and pulled out the necklace. "A little birdy told me that Klaus wants to get his hands on it."

"Why would Klaus want Elena's necklace?"

"Does it matter? He wants it and I have it; it's leverage, Damon. We're one step ahead of our enemy," Katherine smirked.

"I'll keep that in mind. Who's the little birdy?" Damon asked with an arched brow.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Okay, there was no bird and I happened to be in Chicago where I overheard a conversation. Anyway, when I stole the necklace from Bonnie, I found out something else. Something better."

"Oh yeah?" Damon drawled, "What's that?" His eyes followed Katherine as she rounded the car and popped open the hood.

"Are you prepared to do anything it takes to stop Klaus?" Katherine demanded, "No turning back?"

"I'm not turning back," Damon replied sharply, but started to wonder what Katherine had up her sleeve.

"Good, because this isn't going to win you any points with your girl," Katherine muttered and lifted Jeremy Gilbert from the bed of the trunk.

"Jeremy, really?" Damon demanded, "Not only is he Elena's little brother, he's Stephanie kind-of-boyfriend. I'm not really sure what they are right now, considering the Klaus thing. But the point is, you can't just kidnap Jeremy!"

Katherine arched a brow.

* * *

"You're a rather large kink in my plans, sweetheart. The whole point of breaking the curse and becoming a hybrid was to _make more hybrids,_ " Klaus growled at Elena as he dragged her through the hallways.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it," Elena snapped.

"Sometime tonight, I will," Klaus promised, "But right now, I have some ideas of how to make you suffer." He shoved open the gym doors and pushed Elena in in front of him. She almost stumbled seeing the students in there and her heart stuttered, fearful for their lives.

"Attention, seniors!" Klaus called out in a booming, stilted American accent with Elena tight in his hold, "You have been officially busted; prank night is over. Head on home." He walked Elena to the center of the floor and stopped a couple from leaving with the others. "You two; I remember you."

"Who are you?" The girl asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, don't worry, I wasn't in my right head when we first met," Klaus said, reverting back to his flowing accent. He compelled her, " _Lift your foot up, Miss Dana_." Dana complied.

" _If she drops her foot, Chad, I want you to beat her to death_ ," Klaus compelled Dana's boyfriend and Elena gasped, her hands fluttering to her mouth.

"Don't, Klaus," Elena hissed, "You don't have to hurt anybody."

"Of course I do, sweetie," Klaus smiled condescendingly.

"Where's Stephanie?" Elena demanded, her eyes sweeping the room's dark and shadowy corners. She watched as Klaus' face twitched in some unknown emotion.

"Well, as soon as I caught a whiff of your scent, Elena, I contacted my sister to dispatch Stephanie for a little while. Nothing to worry about."

* * *

Caroline let Tyler kiss her neck, trying to keep her mind off of her father for at least five minutes at a time. Matt had disappeared over the night, muttering about doing something and then going home.

"You two are adorable," An accented voice called and the couple looked up to see the blonde bombshell, Rebekah, stalking towards them.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline glowered.

"It's senior prank night, isn't it?" Rebekah asked with a tilted head, "I thought I'd come play a prank."

She lunged for Caroline's neck, fangs dropped and fingers curled into claws.

* * *

Bonnie and Matt found themselves alone in the pool, using toilet paper to teepee the entire place. The witch's thoughts were elsewhere, and it was clear that Matt's were too.

"Where's Jeremy?" The football player suddenly asked, "I haven't seen him all day."

Bonnie shot him a quick look. "At home, I suppose. You know about his . . ."

"Ghost problem?" Matt suggested with wry twist of his lips that suggested humor, but the look in his eyes said otherwise.

"Yeah," Bonnie said sharply and Matt nodded. "I was going to help him with it tonight, but Caroline dragged me into this and Elena still, somehow, doesn't know about it yet." She peered at Matt's face and said quieter, "You know he's seen Vicki, right?"

"Oh, yeah," And that sounded like there was a story behind that, Bonnie thought, but she decided not to pry on that. "I'd kind of like to see her, myself, actually. I never really got to say good-bye to her."

Bonnie shot Matt a look. "That doesn't sound like a good idea."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Matt nodded a little too quickly for Bonnie's comfort.

"I mean, I'm going to be fixing the problem anyway," Bonnie continued stiltedly, "I know the spell, I just need Jeremy here to tell me if it works, you know."

"Yeah." Matt looked down in the watery depths of the pool.

Bonnie shuffled her feet and looked at her hands thoughtfully. "I . . . suppose I can see if there's a way for you to say goodbye before I banish all of the ghosts. . ." She looked up and saw Matt's hopeful blue eyes. They brightened at the suggestion and Bonnie stifled a sigh and let her lips twitch a little in an answering smile.

"It might take a while," She warned, "I'll start looking first thing in the morning because the only way that I can think of right now is . . . lethal." Matt nodded and together they left the pool and headed towards the gym.

The sight that greeted them there wasn't promising.

Klaus and Elena were standing in the center of the gym, while Dana stood on one foot while her boyfriend, Chad, hovered over her shoulder. Balloons and streamers were flooding the large, cavernous gym, which turned the room from its intended feelings of festivity to dark irony.

"Bonnie, run!" Elena shouted as soon as she located her friend.

"Oh, I was wondering when you'd show up," Klaus grinned and Bonnie jumped as he flashed behind her. "Now, we can get started." He looked up and compelled the teenagers to sit down, which they did with tears of relief, and then turned back to Bonnie, advancing upon her slight form.

She stared at him defiantly, her hair sticking to her neck from perspiration, as he looked down at her with fathomlessly eyes. "I assume you're the one that saved Elena's life."

"That's right," Bonnie refused to blink as she evenly said, "And if you want to blame someone, blame me."

"There's no need for blame, sweetie," Klaus grinned for a brief moment before he turned deathly serious, "It's just that your witchy interference has caused some undesirable side-affects. And since you caused the problem . . . I'll need you to fix this." He smiled again, his blind teeth nearly blinding.

The gym doors swung open again and almost as a single unit, its occupants turned their heads to see Rebekah dragging Tyler along by his shoulders and Stephanie swiftly walking behind them, green eyes almost dead.

"Steph! Help him," Elena hissed.

"Don't bother," Rebekah snapped, "She's compelled to ignore your cries and listen to mine and Nik's direction for the moment. Here's the dog, Nik. The other little vampire is in the hallway with a snapped neck."

"Thanks, love," Klaus winked and roughly handled Tyler and shoved him forwards into the center of the gym, where a spot light had been aimed for cleaning. "I'm going to make this very simple; every time I attempt to turn a werewolf into a hybrid, they unfortunately die in transition." His eyebrows arched as he raised his wrist to his mouth and delicately bit into the vein there, letting the blood flow. He shoved it into Tyler's mouth, forcing the werewolf to drink and swallow. "It's quite horrible actually." Klaus eyed Bonnie. "I need you to find a way to save my hybrids and for Tyler's sake, you'd better hurry."

He took a hold of Tyler's jaw and ripped his head sideways so that the entire room could hear the resulting snap. Klaus dropped him and Tyler's body tumbled to the floor, thumping heavily as it landed, making Tyler's friends wince and gasp.

Rebekah smirked and folded her arms across her chest as she trotted over to the bleachers to sit down, while Klaus lazily walked over to Stephanie, where he extended an arm.

"Come on, love. Come sit with me and Rebekah."

Stephanie didn't hesitate, due to the compulsion, and she looped her arm through Klaus' and followed him to sit next to Rebekah. The others gathered around themselves and started to murmur and talk.

"He killed him," Matt growled and his eyes shot swiftly over to Klaus' form. The Hybrid was somehow managing to look over at their group with a self-satisfied grin and attend to a dazed and compelled Stephanie to keep her compliant.

"No," Elena corrected Matt sharply, "No, Klaus just turned him."

Klaus hopped off the bleacher. "And if Bonnie's successful, he'll live through his transition." He lifted a hand and motioned towards her. "Go on; fetch your grimoire or enchantment book or herbs; whatever you need, sweetie, to get this show on the road. I'll hold onto Elena." He grabbed her elbow roughly with his dexterous fingers, clamping them down painfully.

Bonnie and Elena locked eyes with each other, and the witch shook her head minutely. Elena nodded, though, seemingly giving permission, accepting the situation as it was.

Bonnie clasped hands with Matt and they sprinted away together, exiting the gym. The doors clanged loud and ominously behind them.

"So," The voice was sharp in Elena's ear, "Little miss Elena. How have you been?"

Elena swallowed thickly and refused to look at the blonde devil hovering over her shoulder. "Better if you had stayed the hell away from my town."

"Really, if we want to get technical, it's our-" Rebekah stopped at a shake of Klaus' head, arousing Elena's curiosity. She said nothing, though, not wanting to provoke any more unnecessary violence.

"Take Tyler out in the hall, would you, Bekah?" Klaus asked his sister over Elena's head; his breath made her hair flutter and Elena pressed her lips into a thin line to keep from shuddering in disgust at his proximity.

"Sure, Nik," Rebekah muttered and left without a word.

Elena chanced a look at Stephanie, still sitting on the bleachers with a cool, blank mask fixed on her face. "What did you do to her?"

"She's just compelled, don't worry for your friend, sweetie," Klaus muttered into Elena's ear.

"Why?"

"She lied to me; you're still alive, after all," Klaus snapped and then visibly got his anger under control, "She's having a time out."

"Right," Elena muttered and let her eyes drift towards the floor.

* * *

"I'm listening," Damon said flatly as he gently removed Jeremy from the trunk of the car and set him down on an old, wooden picnic table.

"What if I told you," Katherine drawled, "there was a way to kill Klaus? Not dagger-dead, but dead-dead? Six feet under and the whole nine yards."

Damon rolled his shoulders and turned an unimpressed look upon the older vampire. Flatly, he told her, "I'd say you were extremely desperate and lying to save your ass." He tilted his head and gave her a vicious look, "Or I'd say you were drunk. Or desperate, lying and drunk."

"Do you remember my friend Pearl?" Katherine shot at him.

"Vividly," Damon replied back through stiff lips.

"Well, she told me of a vampire who knew how to kill Klaus years ago," Katherine explained airily, "but she would never tell me who it was."

"Why the hell not?" Damon asked with an arched brow.

"Because it was her leverage," Katherine said smartly, "She knew it was valuable information and so she refused to share it with me."

"Well, as wonderful as this sharing time has been," Damon drawled with narrowed eyes, "Pearl is dead and so can't help us. What's the point of bringing it up?"

"She told one other person," Katherine said, "Anna."

"Also dead," Damon pointed out.

"Which brings us back to Jeremy, our very own Ghost Whisperer," Katherine grinned and Jeremy started to groan as he woke up. "Who it appears is now waking up. Morning Sunshine, welcome to the party. You're vital to the celebrations."

* * *

"Stephanie, love, come here," Klaus called and Elena's eyes shot upwards to look at her friend who was slowly approaching. Steph walked up to Klaus and he leant down; Elena watched as he broke the compulsion. Klaus turned to wink at Elena.

"I want her to do what she does next under her own power, sweetie. It'll prove to me that you mean nothing to her as she says. It's too bad little Jeremy Gilbert isn't here; that would really be something." The words sent shivers down Elena's spine and the girl looked at Steph's face, surprised but relieved at the difference. Steph wasn't as closed off or as dull witted as she had been moments ago; now she looked hyper aware and stiff as she avoided looking into Elena's eyes.

"I want you to kill our new friends, Dana and Brad, over there," Klaus inclined his head over to Elena's unfortunate classmates. The doppelgänger gasped, a hand flying to cover her lips in shock.

"What are you waiting for? Kill them."

Elena noticed the difference in his voice; from what had been a croon, something one might hear from a lover, his voice had turned to something as hard and unyielding as steel.

"No," Elena murmured, hoarsely at first, but gaining strength at each repetition, "No, Steph, don't. He's not going to hurt me, he already said he's not-" But Klaus flashed in front of her and backhanded Elena so sharply that she flew backwards to the ground. She grunted at the impact and rolled over to her belly, trying to catch her breath. She heard sounds of swift feet and them snarling and gnashing teeth, so Elena quickly looked up to find Klaus holding Stephanie in a choke hold, and the smaller vampire's feet were dangling from the ground.

"She means nothing to you?" Klaus asked, voice as soft as a whisper, but as sinister as a rattlesnake. "The lies keep on piling up, don't they, love?"

"Let her go, please," Stephanie begged, choking, "I'll do whatever you want. I'll _be_ whatever you want."

"But you can't, can you?" Klaus asked, head tilted in calculation, "Because things can't go back like the way there were; you said it yourself when we first left Mystic Falls. _Because you're not the same person._ Well, that's a lie, Stephanie, and we both know it." Klaus tightened his hold on her neck. "Now, I didn't want to have to do this, but you've forced my hand. _Stop fighting."_

Elena's eyes were round and her mind chased itself into circles, trying to solve this mystery. What was going on?

Stephanie stilled at the new compulsion and said, "Please, don't."

"I just wanted us to be together again," Klaus said, eyes blazing, "I love you and I know that you love me; I _can feel it. Tell me the truth."_

"Yes," Stephanie choked and Elena flinched back violently. Her best friend had feelings for this monster? How in the hell does that work, Elena asked herself.

Klaus tilted his head and dropped Stephanie to the ground and watched as she scrambled to collect herself.

" _If you really love me, you're going to do everything that I say,"_ Klaus compelled and Elena realized this was a test. Of course it was.

"Klaus, no," Stephanie murmured, but her pupils were already constricting and her body relaxing.

"Stephanie . . ." Elena gasped and watched as Stephanie's eyes slid over her.

"Now, kill them, Ripper," Klaus said with a lavish grin as he waved a hand over to the couple. Stephanie's eyes darkened to pitch black and spidery veins crawled down her beautiful face; Elena likened her to an evil angel of death. Fangs elongated and faster than the human eye could track, Steph had launched herself at the boy first, attaching her mouth to his neck.

Elena thought it was like watching a train wreck; it was horrifying, but you just can't tear your eyes away from the carnage. Stephanie ripped through Brad's neck until his head was cleaved clean off his body, landing with a sickening splat onto the gym floor.

Steph looked up and blood dripped down her chin, even as she ravaged Dana. When she was done, she started to meticulously lick the blood off her face, but Klaus flashed in front of her.

"Kiss me," He breathed and for a second Elena wondered if Stephanie was finally going to be able to fight the compulsion, but her friend merely leaned up while Klaus leant down and their lips met in a passionate embrace, hands exploring and teeth clashing.

Elena closed her eyes.

Where was Damon?

* * *

"This isn't going to work," Jeremy told the two vampires in front of him flatly. His fingers tapped anxiously on his legs while Katherine paced a trench into the dirt and Damon leant against another picnic table.

"Just focus, Jeremy," Damon said mildly, "The sooner you talk to Anna, the sooner we all go home."

Jeremy sighed and closed his eyes, willing Anna's ghost with them. There was a suctioning pop that announced the dead vampire's presence.

"I'm not helping them," She said immediately.

"It's okay to help; they're looking for a way to stop Klaus," Jeremy said urgently and steadfastly didn't think of why he in particular wanted this to happen.

"I don't care," Anna said flatly, "Katherine is not your friend; neither of them are."

"What is she saying?" Damon snapped.

"She doesn't want to help you," Jeremy told them warily and he eyed the soundless exchange between Damon and Katherine. Moments later, Damon sprung up.

"Okay, listen up, Anna. If you don't share with us what you know, I swear I will have Bonnie exorcise your ass out of here," Damon warned.

Anna stiffened and Jeremy watched her intently.

"If you don't help us," Jeremy whispered, fully aware that the vampires would be able to hear, "I will got the Bonnie and have her bring Vicki back, whatever your reasons are for her not getting a foothold in this world." Damon and Katherine exchanged confused looks while Anna became paler, if such a thing were possible.

"Michael," Anna murmured, "You'll want a vampire called Michael."

Jeremy relayed the message.

"He's a vampire who hunts vampires, and Anna says that you'd be idiots to wake him up," Jeremy said and then did a double take and asked her, "What do you mean, 'wake him?'"

"Time for me to get the keys," Damon said and Katherine agreed.

* * *

"You did this to her," Elena said later, when Klaus and Stephanie had detached themselves from each other, "You turned her into . . . this. Made her think she loves you."

"Oh, that's not true," Klaus laughed into her ear, "First of all, I started the party; she's the one dancing on the table tops. Second, I didn't make her think she loves me; she fell in love a long time ago. We've met before, her and I. Didn't you know?"

"No . . ." Elena trailed off, uncertain, "Wh-when?"

"A few times throughout the course of her vampire life," Klaus remarked idly and then grinned, "It was always a whirlwind; her energy and fire just sucks you up until you're in her orbit and dancing to the drums in her head. My Ripper's such a delight."

The doors to the gym slammed open before Elena could even _begin_ to say anything about _that._ The three of them turned to look at Rebekah, who was storming in the gym.

"Where is it? Where did that doppelgänger bitch put it?" Rebekah roared.

"What?" Klaus asked, brows furrowed.

"My necklace! She has it! Look!" Rebekah shoved Caroline's cell phone under Klaus' nose and Elena watched as he frowned.

"Well, well, more lies," Klaus tittered unhappily.

"I didn't give it to her," Stephanie said, her voice loud in the sudden silence, "I'd found it and gave it to Damon a long time ago. He must have given it to her. How was I supposed to know it was an Original's?"

"Nice try, love," Klaus said with a leer, "But I gave you back your memories; surely, you'd have seen Rebekah's necklace."

"It didn't seem important," Steph tried again.

"I don't give a damn about that right now," Rebekah snapped and she turned to Elena, "Where is it?"

"I don't have it anymore," Elena said quietly and the blonde lunged at her; Elena could feel the vampire's teeth in her neck, biting and tearing her flesh as blood started ooze.

Of all people, Klaus rescued her.

And wasn't that irony?

"Knock it off!" He roared.

"Make her tell me where it is!" Rebekah screamed back and Elena dizzily got to her feet from the floor. She caught Stephanie's eyes over the Originals' shoulders and they shared a glance.

"Where's the necklace, sweetheart?" Klaus had turned back to Elena, "Tell me the truth, now."

"I am," Elena insisted quietly, "I don't know where it is. Katherine stole it." She watched as Klaus breathed angrily through his nose and he sprung back up.

"Katarina. I should have known," Louder, he said, "Well, that's unfortunate. With the necklace, that would make things a whole lot easier for your witch, but since we're doing things the hard way, let's put a clock on it, shall we?" He stalked across the gym and hit something that made the score board read 20 minutes.

"Twenty minutes," Klaus confirmed as he walked back over to Steph, "If Bonnie doesn't have the spell, Stephanie, love, I want you to feed again. This time on the lovely Elena. You know you want to. Do you understand?"

"Klaus, don't do this to her," Elena begged, "If you really loved her, you wouldn't compel her like this! You'd let her make her own decisions!"

"I tried that; didn't work," Klaus said dismissively, "obviously, since she's been lying to me." He looked over at Rebekah, "Don't leave, Elena; if you try, Stephanie will fracture your spine." The hybrid stalked out of the gym angrily, leaving Elena to glance up fearfully at her friend and Rebekah as the clock ticked on.

* * *

"Where's my phone, Katherine?" Damon demanded as the three of them got ready to head back.

"Do you need to check in on little Elena? She's a big girl; I'm sure she's fine," Katherine drawled with a leer.

"Be that as it may . . ." Damon glared, "I know you have it, so hand it over." He stuck out his hand.

"What can I say, I didn't you here and now with me," Katherine shrugged nonchalantly.

"Katherine. Phone. Now."

She sighed and reached into her pocket and gave it to Damon. He frowned as he went through his messages.

"Bonnie's been texting me."

Jeremy looked up, startled. "Why?"

"Klaus," Damon sighed.

"Damon," Katherine warned, "Look at the big picture; our best chance at killing Klaus is finding this Michael guy."

"Jeremy, stay with her so Anna can guide you; I'm going back," Damon handed Jeremy the keys.

"No," Jeremy protested sharply, "Klaus is back for my sister and he's got Stephanie with him. I'm not letting you go by yourself."

"Stay. Here," Damon enunciated, "You'll be . . . relatively safe with Katherine, as opposed to what would happen if Klaus gets his hands on you. You'd probably look like graded cheese and then die of some obscure torture. So. You're staying with her." He jerked a thumb at Katherine and walked away.

Katherine snatched the keys out of Jeremy's hands. "You're making a mistake, Damon! You'll get yourself killed. The Damon I knew wouldn't have done this."

Damon paused and turned to look at Katherine serenely. "I wouldn't have done it for you." Leaving her speechless.

* * *

"Stephanie, listen, Caroline's dad was able to resist compulsion. I don't know how, but he did," Elena said, her voice speeding up rapidly.

But Stephanie wasn't focusing on her voice; Elena's pounding heart was nearly drowning out every other sound in the building as she stood there a begged preemptively for her life. Steph paced back and forth, riding her anxiety like a Californian wave. Rebekah stood off to the side and Stephanie didn't want to even look at her betrayed face.

"Maybe it's possible," Elena continued and Steph never thought she'd wish the other girl would shut up so much in their entire friendship.

Stephanie giggled, "Yeah, maybe it's just mind control, right? Maybe it takes some focus, decades of training, no big deal." She giggled again and suffered one of Rebekah's withering worried stares.

"Stephanie," Elena tried again, "You can control this. When that buzzer goes off, just drink from me. It'll be okay."

Just drink from me.

Just drink from me.

It'll be okay.

It'll be okay.

As if it was that easy.

She whirled around and screamed, "It's not easy, Elena! I can't stop! I start drinking and I can't control myself! I'm a Ripper! And a Ripper doesn't stop until every last drop of blood is drained!" She laughed venomously, "And if you're lucky, and me, I'll rip your fucking head off too! I listen to the words coming out of your mouth and do you want to know what I hear?"

Elena wordlessly shook her head.

"All I hear is the drumming of your heart! And when that clock ticks down, I'm going to have to feed on you," Stephanie's voice dropped, "And you want to know what's worse? I'm not going to be able to stop."

Elena opened her mouth and words of encouragement spewed from her lips like water running through a riverbed. Stephanie's fingers tore through her long, tangled hair and she stifled a frustrated scream. Why couldn't Elena understand? Why couldn't anyone ever understand? No one but Klaus, a traitorous part of her mind whispered. But why not go there, Stephanie supposed. She was already about to kill her (ex?) best friend, besides Caroline. Why not give in to her wretched feelings for Klaus?

A monster deserves a monster, after all.

Beauty and the Beast had it all wrong, Steph thought, and she giggled aloud. She turned and looked over at the bleachers and wondered when Rebekah had disappeared.

"Elena, you're going to have to run," Stephanie said and wiped sweat and blood off her face.

"But Klaus said I couldn't," Elena said, eyebrows furrowing.

"Stay or go, it won't matter, because you'll be dead. At least if you run, you might get a head start," Stephanie said truthfully. "Please, Elena, please, please, please."

"There's another way," Elena urged, "You can fight. Fight it, Steph." Stephanie choked on delirious laughter and shook her head as the buzzer went off and Elena stayed in place. "You can do this, Stephanie, fight it!" Elena said, voice strong as Stephanie fell to her knees and her fingers scrabbled for a hold on the floor.

"Go, Elena," Stephanie growled through her teeth, "Run."

"Don't give up!"

"I can't hold it," Steph cried and she launched herself at Elena, just managing to hit the back wall and miss Elena. "Go!"

Finally, she ran.

But it might have been too late, Steph thought, as she makes herself hit walls and run into lockers, anything to keep herself from murdering her best friend. She pushed her way into the cafeteria and fell to the floor, grunting. Her green eyes danced around the room until they landed on the wooden handle of a broomstick. She flashed to it and snapped it half; stabbing herself in the gut, even as she screamed.

"Well, well," Klaus' voice drawled and Steph looked up to see Elena struggling in his grasp. "The only thing stronger than your bloodlust is apparently your love for your friends. Why don't you just . . . turn that off?"

"No," Stephanie snapped, "I won't."

"Well, maybe not all of it," Klaus drawled, "Because I really don't want to turn off what feelings for me you have. Maybe everything else though, yes?"

"No," Steph growled.

"Your humanity is killing you!" Klaus said and let go of Elena, "Just turn off the guilt. Just the guilt."

"I won't," Stephanie swore.

"Turn it off, love," Klaus crooned as he walked up to Steph. He ripped out the wooden broom. " _Turn it off_."

"No," Stephanie hissed, eyes blazing and teeth bared, "I won't do it. Not for you or anyone."

Klaus leant in and stared into Stephanie's eyes, faces centimeters from each other. " _I need you to turn it off; the guilt and this love for your friends. It's cloying and binding you to your humanity; all I want is the girl that I fell in love with. I want you to be_ her, _again._

" _Be the girl I fell in love with!"_

His last scream echoed in the cafeteria, echoed in her ears, echoed in her mind. Stephanie stepped back, staggering into the wall, gasping and spluttering as her mind rearranged itself and realigned her priorities and feelings. The blood was pounding in her head and she could feel her sharp canines elongating, pricking her full bottom lip. There is only a single thought in her head and it is for the tall figure that screams familiarity and recklessness and love.

His hand slides away from her neck and she knows it will bruise, but she can't bring herself to care except to miss his burning, fiery touch on her skin. Her green eyes track his movements from the flick of his blonde hair to the darting of his blue eyes. Niklaus gazes at her hungrily and Stephanie tilts her head, admiring the Hybrid.

There is the adolescent human standing four or five feet from them, the one that held such significance to Stephanie not two minutes ago, but for the life of her she couldn't remember why. The doppelgänger, a vague part of Stephanie realized, and she'd loved the girl like a sister. But the feelings were alien in comparison the revitalized frame of mind she found herself in.

"Love?" Niklaus extends a strong hand; it is tanned but not weathered, young looking but sturdy. It leads up to lithe arms and to the slender Hybrid and his infectious grin. "Are you with me?"

Stephanie hears the yell of anger and desperation from the doppelgänger as she slips her delicate but strong hand into Niklaus' firm one.

"What did you do to her?" Elena whispered.

"I fixed her," Niklaus murmurs and his smile is as blinding as the bright summer rays of sun. "I fixed her." He repeated.

Stephanie feels her mouth pull into a frown. "What was wrong with me?"

She can hear Elena in the background, but she pays her no mind as Nik speaks to her, "Nothing, really, love; you've always been perfect, but you were holding back. You don't need to do that anymore, I promise.

"Now, Ripper, perhaps you'd like a drink from the doppelgänger's neck?" Stephanie blinked rapidly and watched as Klaus disappeared from in front of her to holding the doppelgänger by her neck and shoulders across the room. She licked her lips and felt herself turning into her monster visage, her fangs dropping.

"Is she any good?" Stephanie found herself drawling in a slow, sultry voice, her eyes flicking to Klaus' for the briefest of moments.

Elena choked and her eyes widened in real fear. Somewhere inside of Steph, she could feel a part of her rage against the idea of ever hurting Elena.

It wasn't the part making the decisions.

"Oh, yes," Klaus said with a wink. "Delightful."

"I'll find out for myself, then, shall I?"

Stephanie took a step forwards and then sprang.

* * *

Elena woke up in a hospital full of beeping noises that rang in her ears. She blinked and spoke with the nurse until she found out that Klaus was pumping her for blood. She struggled, but the nurse was quickly revealed to be on his side.

She faded back to unconsciousness.

* * *

"So, the doppelgänger's blood isn't the problem, it's the solution," Rebekah said and tilted her head to look at Klaus from her place on the hood of the car.

"That's right," Klaus nodded his head.

"How did you know?"

"You remember how much the Original Witch hated me – do you honestly think that I wouldn't do whatever the opposite of what she says?" Klaus spun around and reveled in the fact that he had a successful hybrid; Tyler Lockwood. He has his little sister. And he had Stephanie as she used to be.

A good night, all in all.

"A thousand years in the ground, and she's still screwing with you." Klaus could hear the smirk in Rebekah's voice.

"It makes sense if you look at it from her perspective," Klaus said dryly, "It was her failsafe in case I ever broke the curse; the doppelgänger had to die in the ritual in order for me to become a Hybrid, but if she was dead, then I couldn't use her blood to sire my new species; which would leave me alone for a long, long time."

"So, that's what this is about? Your obsession with your hybrids?" Rebekah asked, brows arched in confusion, "You just didn't want to be alone?"

Klaus' visage hardened. "What I want is to take my girls, take my hybrid, and get out of this wretched town. Why don't you get the truck and I'll collect my other ladies?" Rebekah slipped off the hood and left him by himself with one last lingering glance.

Klaus stood for about three seconds before he heard another presence approaching.

"Look who finally joined the party," Klaus drawled to Damon as he turned around.

"Where's Elena?" Damon demanded sharply.

"She's making a great donation to a great cause," Klaus smirked and then added as Damon tried to brush passed him, "Don't interfere, mate." One of his hands shout out and landed right above Damon's heart warningly.

"If you're going to kill me, get it over with," Damon said flatly.

"I would," Klaus promised, nodding his head, "But, you see, I made a promise to your sister that not a hair on your head would be hurt. And unlike her, I keep my word. Although, now," Klaus said idly, "She probably doesn't care that much. I seem to remember her being very vague and aloof about you in her Ripper days." Klaus threw Damon back onto a car and they tumbled for a few minutes.

Then, "Don't you want to know about your friend Michael?"

Klaus felt a flash of cold fear. "What do you know about Michael?"

Damon leered, "Just that he knows that you're here."

"You're bluffing," Klaus snapped.

Damon shook his head. "Katherine and I found him. He's our leverage." Michael was awake and alive and he's coming to get him and Rebekah. Mikael was awake and alive. Michael was awake and alive. He'd probably draw out his death, Klaus realized, but he wouldn't do it right away; Michael would make Klaus watch as the vampire killed first Rebekah and then his little love, Stephanie Salvatore.

No.

He wouldn't let that happen.

Klaus roared and threw Damon into the car, stunning the vampire long enough so that Klaus could disappear.

Damon got up and flashed into the hospital and searched for Elena's room, finding her being used as a human blood bag as machines drained her of the life giving properties.

"Damon?" She murmured.

"I've got you," Damon whispered as he detached the tubes and scooped her up into his arms. "I'm here now."

"I'm sorry we fought."

"I'm sorry I killed Bill Forbes," Damon admitted as he carried out.

Elena mumbled and passed out. Damon brushed a piece of hair out of her face and took her to the Boarding House. When they got there, she woke up on the couch under Damon's watchful eye.

"Here's some bourbon," Damon handed her a tumbler, "It'll help you forget," He explained at her puzzled look.

She sipped it.

"It's strong," Damon murmured when she made a quiet noise, startled. "You know, I can help you forget too. I mean, if there are some memories you don't want to keep . . ."

"No," Elena immediately shook her head, "No compulsion. I need to remember. All of it."

Damon lifted something from his pocket and held up it to Elena's face. "I stole it back for you." It was her necklace.

"She's really gone this time," Elena said quietly, "I watched it happen; she was a different person. Jeremy's not – he can't go near her. She's dangerous like this, and, and it scared me." She looked down and then at Damon's face. "Did you know about her . . . involvement with Klaus?"

Damon said nothing and Elena's face darkened.

"Well, whatever kind of person she was when they fell in love, that's what he compelled her to be. Some, some kind of monster. After everything we went through to help her, everything Jeremy did . . . she's just gone."

Damon frowned and put the necklace down as Elena started to tear up. "Where you were you?"

"I shouldn't have left," Damon murmured, "I promise you, I will never leave you again." They sat in a pleasant silence until a cold and amused voice interrupted them.

"Doesn't this look cozy?" Damon and Elena's eyes shot to the figure in front of them.

Stephanie prowled like a jungle cat, her feet light and her body almost slinking sensually. Her tangled hair was loose around her shoulders, pulled to the side so that the left side of her neck was bared. Damon could see the healing marks of someone blood sharing, which made his blood boil.

"What are you doing here?" Elena snapped.

Stephanie arched her dark, pencil thin brows and poured herself a tumbler of bourbon, taking a sip. "I live here?"

"Where's your partner in crime and your new boyfriend?" Damon tried to drawl casually, but his eyes kept falling to Stephanie's exposed neck.

"Nik left and he asked me to keep an eye on Elena until he comes back," Stephanie downed the rest of the tumbler and shrugged at the couple on the couch. "Rebekah will be along shortly. From now on, you are under my protection." She raised her empty glass and toasted them. "But by all means, do carry on."

Stephanie put the glass back down and winked at them before flitting away, leaving Damon and Elena to trade horrified glances.

* * *

"How do you know that Anna wasn't lying to you?" Katherine demanded as they pulled up to the cemetery and got out to walk to a mausoleum.

"This is the place," Jeremy said definitely, "A witch supposedly entombed Michael here in the 90s. There, look." He pointed at a large, sealed coffin inside and Katherine threw open the door.

They walked inside, stepping lightly on the dust filled mausoleum. Jeremy kept a distance, but Katherine stalked straight up to the coffin and shoved open the cement lid, revealing a mummified man, bound in chains.

"Found you," Katherine murmured with a smile.


	5. shout when you wanna get off the ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Never you mind, death professor
> 
> Your structure's fine, my dust is better
> 
> Your victim flies so high
> 
> All to catch a bird's eye view of whose next
> 
>  
> 
> Never you mind, death professor
> 
> Love is life, my love is better
> 
> Your victim flies so high
> 
> Eyes could be the diamonds confused with whose next."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries, the secret circle, or any quotes used/modified.
> 
> Check out the songs DLZ – TV on the Radio and Sour Cherry - The Kills. Both are good and were an inspiration for this chapter. 
> 
> WARNINGS: THIS IS SERIOUS, PLEASE READ. Later in this chapter, there is some violence startling enough to be rated M, so beware (women scorned and all that). References/Insinuations of past non-con; violence that you might want to skip over (the Mature part that occurs at the 8,500 word point and goes on to end around the 9,000 word mark); language; minor crossover.

Klaus drove up the Eastern Seaboard with his destination burning in his head and the desire to keep him and his loved ones safe from harm. To do this, he needed a powerful witch; he needed someone that could draw energy from a coven.

He needed to get to New Salem.

Klaus switched the car's gears and felt a creeping of surprising and undesired anxiety fill him up; running from Mikael had become second nature to him and for the first time since he had turned, Klaus had the means to actually, finally kill the man that had ruthlessly hunted him down for centuries. So the anxiety was inexplicable, really.

But it wouldn't leave.

Klaus licked his dry lips and his long, artist's fingers tightened around the wheel of the car unnaturally, causing it to make a warning snapping sound; an indication it would shatter from his strength if he didn't relax. He loosened his grip a little as he pulled in New Salem and maneuvered deftly through the small town, in search of one witch in particular.

His car nearly crawled down the correct street and a few curtains twitched with nosy neighbors, but there was no other indication that his presence had been noticed the rest of the coven quite yet. He parked by the mail box of the house he needed, and stepped out of the car and smoothed back his hair with a deft hand.

Klaus strode up to the front door and wrapped on it three times; they were light, but gave the home owner an indication of impatience as opposed to nervousness. The heavy door swung open to reveal a woman that looked no older than nineteen; she had a mane of wild dark curls and glistening gold eyes, while her ruby lips were slanted into a darkly amused smirk. She had womanly curves and she was tall; she carried herself with pride of her abilities and dark energy seemed to crackle down through the tips of her hair.

"Klaus," Her voice was low and smoky, and she arched her perfectly groomed brows.

"You're looking remarkably well for someone nearly middle age," Klaus said dryly, blue eyes swiftly making an assessing sweep of the witch in front of him.

"I know a few things about preserving my age, like few others do," The woman said with a sly look, "but I have a few more tricks the most, so my youth can cast longer even then." Unbidden, an image of Gloria rose to the forefront of Klaus' mind.

He arched his brow, but moved on to the topic he'd come to discuss. "I need some assistance, Miss Chamberlain, the kind that requires a deft hand at . . . trickiness."

"Of course," the witch let her ruby lips curl into a knowing leer.

"May I come in?" Klaus inquired as he let his hands fall onto the door hinges in warning, his fingers brushing the edges lightly.

"Sure," The witch stepped to the side and the invisible barrier disappeared. As she led Klaus farther inside, she called back insouciantly, "I can always respell the house as soon as you leave."

"And I'd need another invitation to get back inside," Klaus murmured and raised his blue eyes to meet Faye Chamberlain's gold ones. "Clever, Miss Chamberlain, clever. Did you get that out of the grimoire you stole from the Bennett's?"

Faye led Klaus to the kitchen, where she leant forwards on her forearms, showing more cleavage than Klaus thought was particularly necessary. He was spoken for, after all, he thought with a dry, dark chuckle.

"It wasn't really stealing from the Bennett's, as the Salvatore bitch had it in her possession, I technically -"

Klaus had her in a choke hold before she could finish the sentence and he breathed into her ear threateningly, "Do not call Stephanie Salvatore a bitch again, Miss Chamberlain, or we might have a . . . problem."

Faye merely blinked and with a shrewd glance thrown his way, Klaus was staring at spiders crawling up his arms, pinching and biting his skin. Leaches appeared on his elbows, sucking his Hybrid blood dry, and fire ants marched out of his ears; they poured from his orifices until he dropped the witch; only then did all of the insects and arachnids pop out of existence.

"Nice parlor trick, sweet," Klaus growled, but couldn't help but brush his shirt, unsettled and still feeling the sensation of crawling insects on his body and bare skin.

"It was an allusion," Faye explained straight faced, "and that was nothing compared to what I will do to you if you dare lay another hand on me." Her eyes twinkled. "You could have just said she was your girl, Klaus. I would have been at least politer as I insulted her."

"Of course," Klaus sneered, but regained his composure. "You've a coven to rely on, don't you? You can channel them." It wasn't really a question, so Faye didn't treat it was one.

"Let's discuss payment first, big boy."

* * *

Stephanie knew that she should be feeling something for her friends and family in Mystic Falls, or rather; she should be feeling something other than vague dismissal and irritation. She knew that logically, it made no sense for her to be acting like she did whenever she was off the wagon and with Niklaus. But there was no logic in this; she'd been compelled, but due to the nature of the compulsion, Stephanie found that while it vexed her, it was more of a tickle in the back of her mind than some pressing concern.

She found that she had retained her desires from past times; the urge to keep Damon at an arm's length and to have her best friend Rebekah within reach, and needed and wanted Niklaus' unwavering loyalty and companionship. More than that though, blood was in the center of her nearly every waking thought.

The blood was a large part of it.

Stephanie woke up the Morning After (she'd changed back, Klaus' departure, and broken her friends' trust in her) and deftly took her conservative and boring clothes out of her closet and tossed them out the window. She peeked over the edge and watched as they floated down, littering the area around the garbage cans and eliciting an outraged cry from her big brother, which she took silent delight in ignoring.

Stephanie walked through the doorway in Nik's borrowed shirt and her underthings, and made her way up to the attic. She pulled an end table from the hallway and pushed it in front of the door as a stool; she climbed it and felt the top of the door for the ancient and rusting key to unlock the attic's treasures.

Her fingers snagged it and she hopped from her vantage point, shoving the table back into place before slipping into the attic. The room's things were covered in a nearly two inch thick layer of dust; sun was streaking through a barely cracked window towards the roof, making the particles of dust shimmer almost prettily.

Stephanie walked straight to the back, where she pulled out a few boxes that were clearly marked with her name. She trifled with them, picking and choosing something that didn't scream conservative; a midnight blue blouse with a plunging neckline and a pair of skinny jeans that clung to her short legs. Stephanie took her plunder back to her bedroom, where she quickly changed into her clothes, leather jacket, and boots, and applied a more flashy style of make up for the day. She let her slightly curly hair fall down her back.

She walked down the stairs and found herself fin the living room, where she pursed her lips. She eyed the floor and the furniture.

"More room," She decided was necessary and set about to shoving the couch backwards.

.

.

.

Damon blinked when clothes started falling passed the window and straight to the garbage can beneath the living room window.

"Hey!" He leant out the window and shouted up to his sister's bedroom, but heard no more from her. He sighed, and cleaned up the clothes, shoving them into trash bags and dumping those into a hall closet. Damon went back to his bedroom, hoping for a brighter day, later, but doubted such a thing would happen. As he passed his sister's room, it was empty, but he heard light footsteps on the staircase to the attic.

He got back into bed, but woke not an hour later to the sound of pounding music in his house, which was entirely unpleasant. Elena hadn't stayed the night, so he wasn't in a particularly good mood either, and when he descended the steps for the second time that morning, he had a small scowl marring his features and his feet stepped a little more forcefully than necessary.

He stepped over two bodies of men in their twenties on the stairs, heads thankfully still attached to their bodies, and he went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of bourbon; he'd need it for the morning he was about to have.

Damon found the cause of the music and giggling laughter in the living room moments later; Stephanie had incited a game of twister with four half naked young men. The game board was full of the young men and blood smatterings. The vampire herself was lounging on the couch in a pair of skinny jeans and dark blue blouse, boots and leather jacket, hair lightly curled in a loose imitation of Katherine's natural waves. The similarity between the two was almost eerie in that picture perfect moment.

A bottle of his good bourbon was sitting a few inches from one of her heeled feet, cap off and lipstick stains on the mouth piece. Stephanie spun the game spinner and Damon heard her murmur, "Uh oh. C'mere James; I'll need your left hand." A lithe young man with black hair and dark eyes hopped up, entranced with Damon's sister, and he took one of Stephanie's own hands, kissing it before offering his own.

Steph looked up through her lashes and gave a sultry smile as she thanked him and slid her teeth into the man's wrist.

"The Quarterbacks on the staircase owe me a Persian rug," Damon said mildly and took a sip from his drink.

Stephanie sighed and let James go, ushering him to return to the game before turning to face Damon with a quirked lip. "You mean that they _us_ a Persian rug; it's my house too, brother," She gave him a smile, "You want a spin?" The guys on the mat looked skeptical at this and Damon almost laughed aloud.

"Stephanie, I'm back," A familiar voice called and Damon rolled his eyes as Rebekah sauntered into the house, bags on each arm. She sniffed disdainfully at Damon before shoving passed him and dropping the bags on the couch across from Stephanie. "I got some things you'll like to replace your horrid wardrobe-"

"I had to pick those up this morning, by the way," Damon told them flatly, "You know, the clothes you tossed out the window. Thanks for that."

The girls paid him no mind, though Rebekah turned around and smacked one of the men's wandering hands as they reached for her.

"Is this what Klaus had in mind when he hired you two to be his guard dogs for Elena?" Damon drawled, drawing the attention of the women.

"These young men are helping me be all that I can be, Damon," Stephanie arched her brows, "They're very nice young men, when you get to know them. James is English major."

"I major in Psychology," another of the young men offered, this one a pale blonde with blue eyes. His state of undress was limited to just no shirt and wearing a pair of basketball shorts, for which Damon was eternally grateful.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Damon asked, mournful of the house's continued cleanliness and so he grasped at straws at getting Stephanie and Rebekah out of the house. "It would be better to protect Elena there, wouldn't it? You'd actually be able to watch her."

"I don't think she'll be bullied at recess," Rebekah scoffed, but Stephanie eyed Damon thoughtfully.

* * *

Katherine leant nearly her entire body weight against the stone coffin that held Mikael, mysterious vampire hunter. Her slim hand was hanging over the side, dangling a little grey mouse as she laid her head on her other hand that was braced on stone.

"Come on, Mikael. Wakey-wakey," Katherine crooned and then sighed as the eldest vampire in history didn't even so much as stir. Aggravated, she growled, "Mikael, _wake up_!" Her phone started to sing its notification indication tune and so Katherine snatched it from her pocket. " _What_?"

Damon's dry voice filtered out from the other end of the connection, "'What?' What do you mean, 'what'? I've been calling you for two whole days."

"That's strange," Katherine muttered idly as she took to tempting Mikael again with the grey mouse, "give that that's how long I've been ignoring you."

"Lassie told me that you found Mikael." He cut straight to the chase, rather than dawdling and waste time like he was like to do normally.

Katherine sighed again. "Found, as in the physical sense, yes."

"What the hell does that mean?" Damon's voice sounded tinny as he shouted through the phone. Katherine rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"It means that he's a bit out of commission; he won't eat and I've tried everything." She dropped the little creature onto Mikael's still chest. "Let's see . . . grave diggers, mourners, rats, bats, dogs . . . he's just not interested."

"Well, try harder," Damon's irritated voice snapped and Katherine wanted to strangle him. "I need him to get his ass into gear so he can kill Klaus, which will de-ripperfy Stephanie. Then I won't have to worry about her and her bestie, Rebekah, destroying the house. She threw clothes out the window this morning! What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Enroll yourselves in Daddy and Teenage Daughter classes to work out your issues?" Katherine suggested innocently and smirked when she heard Damon smash something. She stiffened when she saw someone enter the cemetery with flowers. "Fine. I'll give it another shot. Have fun wrangling your sister and her devil friend."

Katherine hung up the phone without a good-bye and saucily walked across the grass to the man laying flowers down at a headstone. Using her wily charms, she brought him backwards to Mikael's tomb before she snapped his neck.

She pierced a vein with her teeth and then leant his dead body over Mikael's stone coffin, letting blood drip into the elder vampire's mouth. He trembled and his complexion started to gain color. Eyes snapping open, Mikael rasped, "No. Get it away."

Katherine's brows furrowed. "You need blood," She said, nonplussed.

"Get it away from me," Mikael said stronger, and Katherine reluctantly shoved the dead body off of the coffin.

"Happy?" Katherine asked but frowned as she leant back down towards Mikael's face. There was something familiar about him . . . "I remember you. Chicago, 1920s. You were hunting Klaus." Her eyes swept his form, wrapped in chains from his shoulders to his feet. Disgusted, she said, "You don't look so tough for a badass vampire vampire hunter."

She sighed.

* * *

Caroline's morning hadn't been the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst she'd ever had. Yes, most of her thoughts revolved around her now dead father, her newly-turned Hybrid boyfriend, and her best friend who'd gone off the deep end, but she was determined to make this a good day; she'd go about as if normal and put up posters for the bonfire, and _hey look, it was Elena over by her locker_.

"Hey, 'Lena," Caroline smiled and gave a tiny wave as she restrained herself from flouncing over to her friend.

"Caroline," Elena greeted warmly with a genuine smile for the generally perky vampire. "How are you doing?"

Caroline shrugged a little and adjusted the strap of her purse. "I've been . . . better."

Elena made a sympathetic face and then looked around before lowering her voice, "Do you think maybe Lexi could help with . . . you know?"

Lexi Branson, Stephanie's vampire best friend for almost as long as she'd been a vampire. Long blonde haired and beautiful, Caroline figured that that girl must be a saint to pick Stephanie up every time she fell off the wagon and reverted back to blood binging.

Caroline opened her mouth to share her thoughts on _that_ , but Tyler sprang from literally nowhere and kissed her neck, making the vampire shudder. "Tyler!" A familiar scent wafted to her nose, making Caroline blink away veins from her face and use her tongue to push back dropped fangs.

"Is that blood?" Elena hissed and Caroline's eyes shot to Tyler's shirt; it had a spot the size of a quarter of rusty red blood on the front, near his collar. Caroline narrowed her eyes and grabbed her boyfriend's bicep and led him into the girls' bathroom with Elena on their heels and a tangent in her head.

"What's going on?" Tyler's eyes were large as Caroline smacked his shoulder roughly.

Glaring, she snapped, "Vampire 101; don't let your breakfast drip on your clothes, and then wear that to school."

"Chill out, it was just a blood bag," Tyler's eyebrows arched incredulously as Elena made a sweep of the bathroom to make sure that no one was inside.

"What?" Caroline asked, "How?"

"Rebekah hooked me up," Tyler explained and both Caroline and Elena's faces turned into fierce glowers at the name of Klaus' younger sister.

"The hell? Rebekah hooked you up? And what are you even talking to her for?" Caroline demanded crossly, pale eyebrows furrowed on her forehead and arms crossing across her chest.

"Klaus told her to keep her eye on me; protect his new asset." Tyler grinned and Caroline narrowed her eyes; Tyler was entirely too pleased about being Klaus' new "asset".

"His _what?_ Why are you amused by this? This is serious!" Caroline cried and Tyler ducked his head to look at her in the eyes.

"I'm his first successful Hybrid, Care," He said earnestly, "Don't you think that's the tiniest bit awesome?"

Caroline took a step back and threw her hair over her shoulder, not amused at all. "Wow. I can _not_ believe you just said that." She laughed incredulously and Elena awkwardly cleared her throat.

"I'm going to step outside. Good luck," She inclined her head, but Caroline's hand shot out to catch her friend before she could leave.

"No, I'm finished," Caroline snapped at Tyler and followed Elena out of the restroom, where they promptly ran into someone several inches shorter than they. They girls looked up and then down, finding an smiling Stephanie Salvatore standing in front of them with an sly look in her emerald eyes.

"Hello Elena. Caroline." She crossed her arms and continued to smile pleasantly.

"What are you doing here?" Elena demanded, her brows pulled into a concerned look, "You'd better stay the hell away from Jeremy."

"You're not exactly stable right now," Caroline agreed on a little gently as she bit her lip.

"I'm returning to school; go Timberwolves!" Stephanie spread her arms in a parody of school spirit, "And I wouldn't touch Jeremy with a ten foot poll; my loyalties are to Klaus and Bekah. I don't feel any desire to see your little human brother."

"Why come to school?" Caroline demanded, "What's the point, really? I thought you and Klaus were going to ride off into the sunset of blood and terror with Rebekah as your witness?" She ignored the incredulous glance that Elena shot her and the bemused one Stephanie sported.

"Nik wants me to keep an eye on Elena and Rebekah to watch Tyler," Stephanie shrugged innocently.

"I'm sorry, who?" Caroline demanded, "'Nik?'"

"Niklaus," Stephanie confirmed with a nodded head and Elena let out a gusty sigh.

"I'm going to class," She tried to breeze passed Stephanie, but the shorter girl's hand shot out and gripped Elena's elbow. Caroline stiffened, but Steph only said, "Class is that way," and inclined her head in the opposite direction Elena was headed.

"Let go of me, Stephanie," Elena said warningly, eyes flashing and Caroline tensed further, ready to break apart a fight.

"Do you – either of you –" Stephanie spared a glance towards Caroline's direction, "Think that I _want_ to be a senior for the hundredth time? No. But I don't have a choice in the matter and neither do you."

"Alright, let her go," Caroline snapped and forcibly removed Stephanie's painted finger nails from Elena's elbow, releasing the other girl. Stephanie spun around and pushed Caroline back into the locker, teeth bared.

"Stephanie, stop it," Elena barked and her eyes swept the hallway and the gathering students. "You're drawing attention."

"Listen, Care," Stephanie ignored Elena and whispered quietly to Caroline; "You were my friend, right? We were close?" Caroline wordlessly nodded her head against the lockers. "That's nice and you even have the benefit of being a vampire, so there's less a chance that I'll kill you for interfering. Just stay out of my way and nothing will happen to you."

"I won't let you hurt anyone," Caroline swore and Stephanie dropped her in surprise.

"Excuse me?" Stephanie asked, turning her head to stare at the blonde girl.

"I won't let you hurt anyone you love because you'll regret it later," Caroline clarified, "We'll find a way to save you and you'll regret all of the nasty things you're doing."

Stephanie stiffened and Caroline wondered at her mistake. Something changed in Steph's eyes; they seemed to shutter and when she looked back at Caroline, the only thing the blonde vampire saw was steel. "I don't need to be saved," Stephanie hissed, "I'm fine the way I am. _He_ said I wasn't a _monster._ " She spun and stalked towards Alaric's classroom, leaving the other two girls in the hallway, mystified.

"You mentioned bringing in Lexi?" Caroline promptly turned to Elena with big eyes.

"I'll talk to Damon after school," Elena agreed and they followed Stephanie into History. The girls took their seats, Caroline next to her and Elena on Caroline's other side. Rick started to lecture about Native Americans, but the door swung open, interrupting him.

Rebekah strode into the room, announcing that she was a transfer, and settled in next to a smiling Stephanie. Elena and Caroline exchanged horrified looks.

* * *

Faye stepped out of her car, flipping her sunglasses up to rest on top of her dark head as she narrowed her eyes. She was staying at a hotel that Klaus was paying for, for the amount of time it would take for Klaus to find out where and what Mikael was up to. Faye was being paid to keep a watch out for Stephanie Salvatore and Rebekah Mikaelson while they watched a new hybrid and the doppelgänger. She was in contact with Rebekah, an old friend, and she hoped to catch up sometime soon. Later, Faye would be called to help destroy Mikael forever.

Slinging her bag onto her shoulder, she let a smile grace her features.

Klaus had never said she couldn't have a little fun while she was in town, after all, and Faye liked to keep things interesting in life. What was more interesting than watching people face their own demons?

* * *

Stephanie jogged around the track keeping a polite distance in between herself and Elena, while simultaneously watching Rebekah piss Caroline off while the blondes fought over Queen Bee and Cheerleading Captain. Steph heard a flirtatious whistle and she turned her head to look at the place her keen ears told her it had come from; a couple of football players were standing in line, waiting for their time for suicide drills across the field. Tyler was showing off and Matt was working hard, but one blonde boy with dark eyes was leering at her. Stephanie winked and ran a little faster, making the boy catcall and chitter with his shallow friends.

Stephanie caught sight of Jeremy standing next to the bleachers, seemingly talking to himself with a joint tucked into his lips and hands stuffed into his jeans pockets. He was probably speaking to Anna or Vicki, Steph realized, or maybe Mason Lockwood or any of the other numerous dead werewolves had unfinished business. Logan Fell? The options were limitless; hundreds of people (if not more) had died in Mystic Falls, hardly any of those by nature causes.

She tilted her head and focused a little more closely on the boy she'd apparently fallen in love with when she'd come back to their little town the first time. He didn't look like anything special; brown haired, tall, symmetrical features, fierce frown. He was pale and a little angry looking, a bit anxious.

But definitely not someone she'd have thought she'd fall for. He was human, for one, a species which Stephanie did not befriend unless it would have some benefit later on. From what she vaguely remembered, he wasn't too much of an asset to the Saving Elena Company. But then again, Stephanie realized, her tastes were never quite right when she wasn't on the live stuff. So she dismissed that line of thinking and focused on Elena and quickened her pace so that she was jogging next to the taller girl.

"Nice form; you're very fit these days," Stephanie said idly and her eyes slid over to Elena's determined face, "You going to the ball game tonight? Sounds like fun, right?" Her ponytail bounced in tune with her steps.

"Seriously, Stephanie, leave me alone," Elena snapped fiercely and she spun around and started running in the opposite direction.

Stephanie shrugged and started running backwards, keeping pace with Elena. "You think I'm annoying now? Just wake until Homecoming." Pretending to be in thought, she added, "Maybe I'll take Jeremy."

"Stay away from him," Elena growled and Stephanie opened her mouth to say something when another student in all black ran straight into Elena, making them stumble.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry," He apologized profusely and offered a small smile to the girls.

"It's fine," Elena waved him off, but Steph started forwards and pushed him backwards roughly with enough strength to make him stagger, but not to fall to the ground. One had to keep up appearances, after all.

"Watch it, dick," She said casually, but curled her lip so that the teenager knew not to mess with them again.

"Who _are_ you anymore?!" Elena nearly shrieked in indignation as Stephanie returned to her side and the boy hurried away.

Stephanie pursed her lips. "The chick who's been assigned to keep her lover's human blood bag safe," She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head curiously, "I mean, no offense or anything."

"I am so done with this," Elena said and threw her hands up, walking away. Stephanie arched her brows and followed her for a few steps.

She cupped her hands over her rosy mouth and hollered, "Was it something I said?"

.

.

.

Elena went straight to the Boarding House after school, making sure she evaded Stephanie (who was occupied with something with Rebekah) as she left. Going up the stairs to the roughly put together weight room, Elena immediately started to bench press some weights.

"What are you going to do? Bench press a vampire? Doesn't work like that, Elena," Damon's voice drawled from the doorway and if she tilted her head, Elena would be able to see his black boots and dark jeans walking towards her.

"Do you even realize what's happening right now?" She snapped, tired of Damon's nonchalance towards his sister's behavior. "Stephanie called me a human blood bag; she's a completely different person now." Damon put a hand in the middle of the weight, pushing down. "What are you doing?" Elena gasped, grunting and her flew up to look at Damon's face.

"Helping you out," Damon smirked, "Come on, _Buffy_!"

"Damon, stop it," Elena snapped and stared at his ice blue eyes until Damon pulled the weight up and set it on its stand. "I don't need this right now."

Damon frowned apologetically. "So, what's the plan, Warrior Princess? I know there's something up your sleeve."

Elena, still breathing heavily, sat up and wiped the sweat from her brow before meeting Damon's eyes again. "We need to call Lexi. Surely there's something she can do to help Stephanie. I mean, she brought her out of her binges before, right? She can do it again."

Damon frowned thoughtfully. "I really don't like her," He started, "And Stephanie's compelled. What's to say whatever Lexi does even works?"

"I was there; Klaus compelled Stephanie to be like she was when they'd been in love," Here, she shuddered to think about anyone loving such a vicious monster like Klaus. Then Elena thought back to Stephanie's angry face in the hallway that morning, proclaiming that _he didn't think she was a monster._ "Lexi brought Stephanie out of her Ripper phase after that, didn't she?" When Damon nodded, Elena added, "So Lexi's our only hope, Damon. We need to bring Stephanie back and I think this is the only way we can do that. We can't let Stephanie hurt anymore people."

Damon crossed his arms, but Elena could see his resolve flacking. "Can't we just lock her up?"

Elena shrugged. "Would that even work?"

Damon finally nodded. "I'll do whatever you need to me to do; I can see when Lexi can come," Seeing the hopeful look on his girlfriend's face, he warned her, "She may not be able to get here immediately."

"It's something, at least," Elena smiled, "Thanks Damon. I love you." She stood up and twined her body with Damon's, gently kissing his jaw line.

"I love you too," Damon wiggled his brows and turned his head so that Elena was kissing his lips.

* * *

Faye had settled into her new apartment nicely and ignored the plethora of calls she was getting from her circle back in New Salem; she didn't want to hear Cassie or Adam or Diana's whiny voices about how she shouldn't be associating with or helping vampires (especially evil ones). She'd called Rebekah, who would be coming over to spend the day while Stephanie babysat Elena Gilbert.

Faye settled on the circular rug that sat in the center of her living room, ringed in candles as she looked at Emily Bennett's grimoire. She magically turned the pages until she found the one she was looking for; resurrection and reanimation.

"Dark stuff you were dabbling in near the end of your life, Emily Bennett," Faye said bemusedly, and she started to mouth and murmur the words under her breath in preparation and practice of its execution. Something in the air changed then, and Faye's cat like golden eyes snapped upwards, wary and searching.

An Asian girl with long, wavy black hair was sitting across from her on the floor, legs folded up beneath her. The girl's eyebrows were furrowed as she nosily looked at the spell Faye was preparing to cast, her face crumpled up in an expression of anxiety. One of her lily white hands flew to her mouth and a small, quiet gasp burst from her lips. She was familiar . . .

"You can't . . . why would you raise the dead?" The teenage ghost demanded with an air about her that suggested she was expecting Faye to ignore her.

"I like a little excitement; doesn't everyone?" Faye drawled casually and her lips curled into a cruel smile when the ghost's eyes rounded.

"You . . . you can see me?" The ghost demanded as she leant forwards eagerly, "Really?"

"Obviously," Faye rolled her eyes, "Now, what you do want? I'm in the process of something, little girl."

"You realize that I'm older than you by at least five hundred years?" She snapped angrily, "You should; I was the vampire that you helped open the tomb for three years ago."

"Ah, Anna, was it?" Faye recognized her now and she quirked her lip. "What happened to your mom? And you, while we're talking about dead people?"

Anna huffed. "She was killed and then John Gilbert locked me in a burning building."

"Tough life," Faye said, disinterested, and looked back at the grimoire and its intricate lettering. She used one of her fingers to trace a particularly tricky line.

Anna changed topics back to the original one. "You can't just raise the dead."

"And we're back to this?" Faye demanded, eyes flicking up to the ghost's face angrily.

"It would upset the balance," Anna snapped angrily, "If you do this, I'll tell the Bennett witch Bonnie who has got her ancestor's grimoire and what you're planning to do with it."

Faye narrowed her eyes, but laughed. "You're devious. I like it." She tilted her head and blinked golden eyes at the ghost while her dark hair curtained her youthful face. "So what do you really want?"

The girl bit her lip. "I just want you to not disturb the balance; there's always a price. This one markedly steep."

"It won't be for long; every single person I bring back – the ones that have suffered violent deaths – will be inanimate and back in the ground within twenty four hours," Faye dismissed easily and her focus never wavered from the ghost girl's face. "It's just a bit of fun, like I said; I enjoy stirring things up." Gazing at her sideways, Faye added, "You'd be alive too, you realize."

Anna bit her lip again and her fingers dug into the rug. Faye arched her brows in response. "Ask. You know you want to."

Blinking dark eyes through long lashes at Faye Chamberlain, Anna's question burst from her dry, chewed lips, "Can you make it so that I stay alive . . . permanently?"

* * *

"You guys ready?" Bonnie Bennett asked her two companions, Matt and Jeremy. The three of them were in a circle in the witch's bedroom, sitting around one of her Grams' old grimoires.

Matt nodded, his lips pressed tightly together and his eyes riveted to the book in front of Bonnie. Bonnie's eyes slid to Jeremy and swallowed the pity she felt for him; he looked pale and his hair limp, and his clothes looked two days old and slept in.

"Is she here?" Bonnie asked gently and Jeremy started, eyes sweeping around until they landed on Bonnie. "Vicki? Is she here?" Bonnie asked again and Jeremy nodded once.

"She doesn't want to go," Jeremy muttered quietly and Matt's eyes lowered.

"That's . . . well," Bonnie cleared her throat and then spoke louder, "I'm going to make so you're visible to us, Vicki, okay? Matt wants to say goodbye." Her eyes fell to the grimoire and she started to chant; the air in her bedroom started to swirl, blowing as if they were at the edge of a beach instead of a bedroom in a small town of Virginia.

Slowly, a slim figure materialized over Matt's shoulder, flickering once, twice, three times before clearing into the figure of Vicki Donovan.

"Oh, Mattie," Vicki breathed and she ran a hair through her younger brother's hair and pulled him into a hug. Bonnie's eyes widened as she realized that Vicki was substantial; Matt visibly started as Vicki hugged him.

"Vick . . ." He trailed off, blue irises as large as dinner plates, "I can feel your heart beating; you're alive."

Vicki gasped and Bonnie's heart nearly stopped; she couldn't have brought Vicki back to life!

Could she? Even as she thought it, the three others in the bedroom turned to look at her with bright, surprised eyes.

* * *

Katherine lit a candle in the mausoleum using a box of matches and turned her head to stare at the stone coffin that contained the vampire hunter that was a vampire, Mikael.

"I apologize for my earlier outburst," Mikael said quietly in the deafening silence, "It would have made more sense for you, had you known that I have been denying myself human blood since I . . . turned." Katherine walked back over to the coffin slowly and sighed as she leant against it. Mikael focused his eyes on her. "Why is it that you've awoken me?"

"I thought you might know how to kill Klaus," Katherine admitted and raised her gaze to the wall of the tomb. "But something tells me that I've been _extremely_ misinformed." Mikael suddenly strained against his chains and looked at Katherine impatiently.

"Would you help me get out of these? I certainly cannot kill Niklaus why am I incarcerated down here." He eyed Katherine expectantly.

Katherine narrowed her gaze. "Does that mean you know how to kill him?"

"I can kill Klaus," Mikael said strongly, "And I will." Katherine deliberated for a moment, but no more than that, and quickly snapped off the heavy chains.

Mikael breathed a sigh of relief and stretched a little. "Thank you."

"A little blood would loosen those muscles right up," Katherine said tauntingly and then raised her hands up when he looked at her. "Just saying."

"I don't feed on living things," Mikael said conversationally.

"Then what do you eat?" Katherine demanded but she received her answer loud and clear as Mikael surged up and grabbed her, biting into Katherine's neck, tearing her flesh and drinking her blood. Her screams echoed off the walls, a beacon for anyone in the area to follow.

Damon was rolling up another bloody rug in the living room when he heard a sharp crash and shattering of glass. He glowered.

"Keep it up, Stephanie," He said warningly, but the noises continued. He stilled and looked up, only to be thrown backwards through the air, landing hard on his back. Blinking away the stars in his eyes, Damon focused on the man standing in the house in a button down blue shirt.

"This is gonna be fun," Mason Lockwood's teeth gleamed as he smirked.

.

.

.

Damon woke up chained to a chair in his living room with a steel bar meshed into his body that went straight through the chair behind him. Pikes were nailing his hands down to the armrests of the chair.

"You have got to be kidding me," Damon panted, eyes focused on Mason. "Stephanie!"

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Mason drawled and he took something from his pocket, tossing it up into the air and catching it several times in a row. Damon frowned and looked down at his hand; his ring was missing. Mason saw him look and he gave Damon a smirk. "Missing something?"

"Low blow, dickhead," Damon grunted, glaring, "low blow."

"How's this for a low blow?" Mason asked and he ripped open the curtains and sunlight streamed in, hitting Damon like a ton of bricks. The vampire roared in pain and anger, his screams echoing off the walls. Mason shut the curtains. "Don't make such a fuss," He chagrined him, "You'll alert someone-"

Stephanie was down in the living room before the (dead) werewolf could finish his sentence. Her green eyes widened at the sight in the living room and her brows furrowed. "You're dead."

"Not anymore, sweet cheeks," Mason grinned but he dropped Damon's daylight ring on the wooden floor. "Let's take it easy, Stephanie-"

"I don't think so," Steph corrected him and had Mason up in a choke hold less than a second later, "How are you here?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't tell you if I did, so," Mason somehow managed to shrug and Stephanie, disgusted, dropped him to the floor. She got Damon's ring and jammed it back onto his finger while Mason made his getaway.

She ripped the pikes out of Damon's hands and the poker from his chest, and snapped the chains holding him to the chair still. Damon gasped and blinked away the spots from his vision. "Thanks, little sister."

"No gets to torture you but me," Stephanie said flatly and she turned away, her wavy hair flying over her shoulder as stalked out of the house. Damon gathered his breath and wits, and vowed that he'd find Mason and take care of him, for good. But first, he pulled out his cell phone and called their resident witch.

"Hello?"

"Judgy. I think you got your voodoo wires crossed when you attempted some spell or other," Damon accused and he stood up and staggered.

"I know – I was trying to get rid of Vicki and Jeremy's other ghost problems." She sounded distracted and anxious. "What happened to you?" There were echoes of three different familiar voices.

"I'm _pretty sure_ I just got spit roasted by Mason Lockwood five minutes ago," Damon deadpanned.

"What?" Her voice went several pitches higher, "What makes you say _that_?" Chattering broke on her end; Jockstrap was there, along with Lassie. Who was that last person?

"Maybe the fact that he chained me to a chair and stabbed a poker through my chest, I don't know," Damon snapped spitefully, "Let's just say that I was hit by some déjà vu. I don't have time for a vengeful Mason Lockwood; when I kill someone, they're supposed to stay dead. So, whatever you did, just fix it."

"Mason's not the only one back from the dead," Bonnie replied grimly and Damon threw his free hand up in the air.

"Wonderful. Who else?"

"Vicki, to start with, and I thought she was the only one. However, now that you say that Mason's back too, I think there's a whole lot more in town by now." So that was who that other girl was; Vicki Donovan.

"Well, we're screwed; especially me, because do you realize how many vengeful people I've killed in Mystic Falls?" Damon asked her irritably and he kicked the chair he'd been tortured in that morning. "A lot."

"You're not endearing yourself to me," Bonnie snapped angrily, "I'll fix it. You figure out what other ghosts are back in town." She hung up.

* * *

Stephanie left the Boarding House and headed towards the Grill, where no one would likely be that morning, as most people were headed to the park for some sort of volunteering committee where some Fell would be making a speech. She forewent her car and instead sped directly there on foot, blurring passed people so fast that they thought she was a breeze.

Steph slowed down and boots clicking on the sidewalk, and spied Alaric and Elena sitting at a picnic table out front. She sashayed over to their little table and sat down, crossing one of her legs over the other one, making her skirt ride up.

"Hey guys," She smiled at them and Rick and Elena exchanged unhappy glances. "Who forget to invite me to the family summit?" She spied a familiar leather bound book and snatched it up. "My diary." Her eyes slid to Elena, who was squirming uncomfortably. "As a fellow journal-er, I'd have thought that you would respect other's privacy. My mistake."

"Privacy is a privilege to those who don't go around snapping necks and harassing others for fun," Alaric said flatly.

"Thanks for the sermon, Rick," Stephanie rolled her eyes and set her diary back down. "You know, Elena, it's probably better not to torture yourself with memories of the past when I was a 'good girl.' It's really rather best if we just move on and accept things as they are; you're the doppelgänger and I'm the Ripper who's in charge of your safety."

"You don't have to be here, Stephanie," Alaric said with narrowed eyes.

"You know what? You're right, Rick," Stephanie nodded her head, "I don't have to be here except for the fact that-" Someone familiar walked passed their table, and his scent invaded her senses, flooding her head with memories. He turned his head and winked, leering before he stepped into the Grill with a few of his buddies.

"Stephanie?" Elena's voice seemed to come from a tunnel, the way it was echoed and small sounding. Alaric joined in her calling when Steph still didn't respond.

Starting violently, Stephanie met Elena's concerned gaze and Alaric's wary one. "I have to go." She stood abruptly, her chair scraping along the pavement as she did. She followed the man into the Grill, her eyes sweeping the floor. She barely heard Rick come in after her and join what looked to be her brother at the bar.

There.

" _Hello, beautiful."_

She zeroed in on the man at the pool table, who was laughing and jeering with his friends. Stephanie narrowed green eyes and walked over to the group, her pulse pounding in ears. Her fingers curled into claws.

" _You taste wonderful, Miss Stephanie. Has anyone ever told you that?"_

She licked her lips and arrived at the pool table. Stephanie leant around his shoulder, whispering up into his ear, "You're dead. Damon killed you."

"So are you, beautiful," Fredrick winked and one of his hands came around and rested on her hip, making her shudder.

"You're a sick bastard, you know that, right?" Stephanie arched her brows and licked her lips nervously. She flicked her eyes over to the bar where Mason had joined Rick and Damon; he'd chucked a glass at his head, shattering it. Whatever they were doing, it was occupying them and keeping their attention from this side of the restaurant.

Fredrick turned his head down and winked. "What did you really come here for? It wasn't to call me names – did you want some more, sweetie? Didn't get enough last time?" He looked exactly the same, Stephanie saw, even down the clothes he'd been wearing _before._

" _Where's big brother now? He left you here. He doesn't want you anymore."_

Stephanie's nostrils flared before she settled and said in an eerily calm voice, "You want to take a walk? I don't want to get blood on the floor when I bleed you dry and torture you until _beg_ for mercy." His big, meaty hand on her hip burned like fire.

Fredrick's friends crowed as the man smirked. "Why not? Maybe I'll get a second _taste_." She let him wind an arm around her tiny waist as they walked out together with his heckling friends behind them, barely keeping herself from shuddering at the contact.

" _We're going to have so much fun together."_

She led them to the side alley next to the Grill and abruptly ducked out of Fredrick's grasp. She spun around and clawed the nearest vampire's neck, digging and ripping the head off of him. Fredrick's fangs dropped and his eyes went red and he launched himself at her, scowling and growling obscenities at her. Stephanie twisted her body so that he ran into the wall, and she clasped her legs around one of his other buddy's waist. Snarling, she bit into his neck and ravaged it until the dark headed man's head fell clean off. He mummified as quickly as the other vampire had.

She dropped his body and turned to face Fredrick and his last friend, both of whom were advancing on her with leers. Smiling pitilessly, she sashayed over to them with her arms crossed to conceal the trembling in her limbs.

"We're going to have so much fun together."

.

.

.

"One of you is going to pay for this, right?" Mason asked as he tossed back another shot of whiskey. Damon's face tightened and his phone bleeped because of a text from Bonnie. He looked down and saw that she, the Donovan's, and Jeremy were trying to find the solution the risen dead. They apparently needed Elena's necklace.

"I'm never going to hear the end of it about that damn necklace," Damon growled and then turned to look at Mason's attentive face. "Look; I killed you, you want revenge. But you want to know something? You'll have to _get in line_."

"Actually, I want an apology," Mason said and next to him, Alaric burst out in laughter. Damon glared.

"Good luck with that," Alaric told him.

"Don't you have family to haunt?" Damon snapped, "You know your nephew was turned into a hybrid experiment the other day."

"That's why I'm here," Mason said calmly, "To help Tyler."

"Sorry, there's not much you can do for him," Damon said unapologetically, "He's a hybrid; nothing can cure that."

"I'm talking about the sire bond," Mason clarified and Damon felt his face pale.

"I'm sorry, what?" Alaric asked, frowning, "What's a sire bond?"

"It's where you feel loyalty or are, um, beholden to the vampire that turned you," Damon quickly explained and he turned back to the werewolf. "Excuse me, Tyler's been _sired_?"

"Oh, right, you didn't know," Mason shrugged, "Now you do."

"How did _you_ know?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"You see things on the other side," Mason replied vaguely, waving a hand carelessly.

"Well, there's still nothing you we can do for Tyler, except for killing Klaus," Damon said, rolling his eyes, "And that's proven to be next to impossible."

"Not necessarily," Mason pointed out, "Not if you didn't find a weapon that could kill him."

"There is no weapon that can kill him," Damon said flatly, but then straightened his back. Looking sideways at Mason, he asked, " . . . what do you know?"

Smirking, Mason leant forwards. "I know that you need to apologize to me."

"You've got to be kidding me," Damon snapped angrily.

"Are you incapable of feeling remorse?" Alaric asked, exasperated, "Just apologize."

After a moment of silence, Damon breathed roughly through his nostrils and he met Mason's gaze. "You're right. I didn't have to kill you. I do a lot of things I don't have to do." He made a face and looked significantly at Mason.

The werewolf wheezed out laughter, slapping the bar. "That's good enough." He slipped out of his stool and became serious. "We're going to the old Lockwood cellar and we'll need a shovel." He looked at Alaric and quickly said, "Alone. Your partner in crime can't come and neither can your twisted little sister."

"Are you going to bury me alive?" Damon asked dryly.

"Don't tempt me." Mason got up to leave, but he and Damon both stilled when they heard a muffled, long, drawn out scream loud enough that only supernaturals could hear. They exchanged startled looks and started out the door together with Alaric following along and passed what Damon thought might have been Logan Fell.

They rounded the side of the building and came upon a gruesome sight; there were puddles of blood everywhere and there were splatters of it on the brick walls, dripping. There were three mummified vampire bodies lying there, and at the very end of the alley was a particularly large pool of blood. Whoever it belonged to was gone, along with the person responsible for inflicting it.

"What the hell happened here?" Alaric exclaimed while Damon knelt down and took a closer look at the bodies and he stiffened; the heads had been tore from their bodies viciously.

"Stephanie's handiwork," Damon announced to his two companions and grimaced and he stood back up. He brushed off dust and dirt from his pants and looked up to meet Alaric's horrified eyes.

"I get that she's not . . . I understand she's not herself, but . . . this is straight out of a horror film," Alaric said, grimacing.

An idea flickered in the back of his mind and Damon narrowed his eyes. "Mason and Vicki can't be the only zombies in town, can they? Bonnie and I agreed; they're must be others around somewhere, but the question is, who is dead that Stephanie hates enough to ruthlessly kill all of his friends before torturing and killing him? Any takers?"

Mason blinked stupidly, but Alaric blinked as it dawned on him.

"Fredrick," Damon grimaced.

"I'm sorry, who?" Mason asked, perplexed and he eyed the position of the sun.

"None of your business," Damon snapped and ran a hand through his hair twitchily.

"Well, I don't how long I'll be here, so we need to go to the old Lockwood cellar now," Mason urged, "I don't know about the spell or whatever magic that's brought me and whoever else back, but I can guarantee that it won't hold forever."

Damon bit his lip. Go find Stephanie or go with Mason Lockwood to possibly find a way to kill Klaus? Help Stephanie extract revenge on an evil bastard, or find a way to kill Klaus, which would help her in the long run?

"I'll meet at the cellar with a couple of shovels," Damon said decisively, "This won't take long."

"Just hurry," Mason called, but Damon was already following the scent of blood as it trailed away from the Grill towards the forest and that little house that Pearl had kept her little "family" two years ago.

.

.

.

Damon arrived to hear blood curling screaming from the basement and he wasted no time speeding towards it. He found this a scene that horrified even him:

Fredrick was strung up to the ceiling without his shirt in a mocking imitation of the way Stephanie had been humiliated two years ago; his body was red and weeping blood from the overt use of vervain, and there were hot pokers sticking out of his gut. There was a gun in Stephanie's white knuckled grip and Damon looked down to see that one of Fredrick's kneecaps had been blown out.

His body was littered with lacerations from wood, but if Damon looked closer, he could see lettering that spelled out I'M A SICK PIG AND A PERVERT on his chest.

"Steph," Damon stepped into the room and called out hesitantly, "Stephanie?"

"Even though I've been compelled, I still remember," Her voice was harsh and her ragged breathing was loud as Fredrick's screams petered out to just grunts. "I may be compelled to be the same person I was when I met Klaus, but that doesn't mean that I don't remember," Stephanie clarified, her eyes trained onto Fredrick's form. Her hair was wild and her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Of course not," Damon soothed with his hands raised in a nonthreatening manner. He didn't know what this Stephanie was capable of right now; she was hurt, high on human blood, and vengeful. Not a good combination at all. Where was Lexi? Wasn't Elena supposed to be meeting her that evening?

"It still hurts, sometimes." Stephanie said and she licked her lips before meeting Damon's eyes. "You killed him the first time."

"And I robbed you of your revenge," Damon nodded and stepped towards her carefully, "I'm sorry. But hey, he came back and you got a second chance! But it's time to let go, now, okay? You need to let this go. He's suffered. Just end it."

He waited as Stephanie stilled and the basement became quiet except for Fredrick's stuttering breaths. Finally, Steph sped forwards and staked Fredrick in the chest, making the vampire grey and shrivel. She backed up slowly to the wall and slid down to the floor.

Damon walked over to his huddled little sister and even though she hated him right now, he tucked her into his arms while she cried.

.

.

.

Damon walked home with Stephanie and made sure that no one was in the house when he left her there, and then escaped with some shovels to the old Lockwood cellar.

"Hello? Mason? It's really not the time to screw with me right now," He called out and he shuffled forwards a few steps and stumbled. Damon looked down and saw that Mason was lying on the ground, dead again. "What the hell?"

"He was getting in the way," A lazy voice drawled and Damon's eyes snapped up to see Rebekah standing at the entrance of the cellar.

"Why did you kill a man you never even knew when he was probably going to drop dead within the next few hours anyway? Bonnie's on her way to fixing this weird mess she caused," Damon snapped, irritated. How had she known what had been going on?

The blonde rose and walked towards Damon with her arms crossed. "Bonnie wasn't the one who brought the ghosts back; my friend came into town and decided throw herself a welcoming party by resurrecting all of those who had died a violent death in Mystic Falls." She quirked her lips.

"Charming friends you've got," Damon gave her a pained smile and his eyes darted down to the tunnel behind Rebekah.

"Make sure to tell your witch that needn't worry; all of the dead will disappear right . . . about . . . now." They both watched as Mason's body seemed to disintegrate and blow away in the wind.

"That was . . . your friend is sadistic," Damon observed.

"Says the vampire psychopath," Rebekah arched her brows.

Damon changed the subject and looked passed her down the tunnel, "I think that there's something down there that you don't want me to see."

"Good deduction," Rebekah yawned and rolled her eyes.

"Well, now I _have_ to go down there," Damon smirked.

"You really don't," Rebekah said flatly, "And you couldn't, either way. My friend? I asked her to take some preemptive measures this afternoon while we were catching up. Neither you nor any of your friends can breech the barriers. Ta." As she brushed passed Damon, he cursed loudly and imaginatively.

_Thisclose_ to finding a way to kill Klaus.

* * *

Stephanie made her way down the stairs of the Boarding House in new clothes with her dirty ones in a bundle under her arm. She went straight into the living room, and making sure the fire was high, threw them in it one at a time until the fabric burned away. She wanted to burn the memories from her brain, but this was just as good, Steph convinced herself.

She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of Damon's bourbon, and tossed it down quickly, swishing it around in her mouth before swallowing. It burned as it slid down her throat.

"I heard you needed an intervention." Stephanie lifted her eyes to see Lexi and Elena standing in the entrance to the dining room together.

Steph set the tumbler back onto the counter top and came them a wry smile. "Come to give me that? Couldn't wait until the morning?"

"What difference would it make?" Lexi asked with a tilted head.

Stephanie barked a laugh and refilled her tumbler. She lifted it in their direction with an ironic expression. "Haven't talked to Damon yet, have you? Just as well." She drained it and wondered where Rebekah had been all day.

"You know what's coming," Lexi said and Stephanie also wondered if she realized how condescending she sounded. Probably.

It was a testament to the day she'd had that Stephanie didn't put up much of a fight as Lexi flashed towards her and snapped her neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The words Stephanie carves into Fredrick's chest are a modified form of what Lisbeth Salander carves into her rapist's chest in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Unless you're sixteen or older (preferably older, but considering I read this with my high school book club last year, I can't really say anything) I don't recommend reading that book or seeing the movie.


	6. don't you fret my dear; it'll all be over soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Twice I turn my back on you  
> I fell flat on my face but didn't lose  
> Tell me where would I go  
> Tell me what led you on I'd love to know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or the secret circle. I do not own any quotes used/modified.

Blinking drowsily, Stephanie came too slowly; blurs colors melted into solid shapes and the soft sound of breathing reached her enhanced hearing. She clenched her fists to get some feeling back into them and dizzily rolled her head forwards to look down; her hands were tightly manacled to a steel chair, and when she took stock of her feet, she realized those appendages were restrained too. Stephanie lifted her head back up, and still feeling the effects of the vervain, rested her neck on her chair. She shuddered at its chill and noticed at once that she was in some kind of cellar that was dark and damp. If she were to look behind her, she would see shudders that could allow light in if one would just pull on a long, heavy silver chain.

Instead, Stephanie squinted and focused on the vague, blurry shape that was standing in front of her. She blinked repeatedly to clear her eyes.

". . . Jeremy?" Her voice rasped and it was almost unrecognizable to her own ears. She licked her dry, cracked lips and felt herself hunger for the life sustaining liquid that pumped just beneath Jeremy's skin.

He stepped out of the shadows and Stephanie finally got a better look at the boy in front of her; his tanned face was grim and his brown eyes were dark with something unnamable. His hands were clenched tightly into fists that hung at his sides.

When he saw her looking, he slowly relaxed his hands and stepped forwards. He dropped to his knees in front of Stephanie, and said in a quietly strong voice, "We're going to make you better, Steph." His brown eyes were like steel as they met hers. "It'll be okay; Elena got some help for you."

Steph stiffened in her chair, licking her lips a second time. "I don't need help," She finally said, her tone flat and unresisting.

"You do." Jeremy said and she could tell he meant for his voice strong and comforting. "You just don't realize that because of _Klaus_." He spat out her lover's name like it was a horrifying disease, something vile and to be despised.

She curled her cracked lip in response, incidentally showing a slightly lengthened canine. "He just helped me become who I am, _Jeremy_." Stephanie made sure to inflict the same disgust in his name as he had to Klaus' and didn't stop the smile that appeared when Jeremy flinched. "You haven't seen me when I'm not in love with you; you don't know how I am. Maybe this _is the real me_."

"It's not." Jeremy insisted and he stood back up, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"How would you know?" Stephanie angrily snapped at him. Why was everyone trying to c _hange_ her? She was either to broody and moody and she didn't smile enough, or she was too violent, too scary, too bloodthirsty, not strong enough; too strong.

"Because even if _he_ doesn't know you that well, _I_ do."

Stephanie reined surprise in, but felt a sneer settle on her lips; she'd almost forgotten that Lexi was the one that had taken her from her house, along with little Miss Elena Gilbert.

"You're off the rails, Steph," Lexi said as she strode into the cellar to stand next to Jeremy, "big time." Her hair was in its customary French braid, pulled over the shoulder of her leather jacket. Her boots clicked on the cement floor of the cellar and she placed her pale white hands on her hips. Her red lips her pursed and her almost white brows were furrowed in disapproval.

Stephanie glared. "You need to let me go or Rebekah is going to come after you and rip you to shreds. And I might just let her." She shook her manacled hands erratically, shaking her steel chair on the dirt floor.

"Rebekah's a bit busy right now," Lexi waved off the concern, letting it slid over her back.

"Let me go and then leave me the hell alone," Stephanie repeated in a hiss. What had happened to Rebekah? Worry rose in her throat; what if they had daggered her?

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you out of this mess you're in?" Lexi asked rhetorically and she arched one of her white blonde brows.

"I want you to let me go and tell me what you did to Rebekah," Stephanie said coolly, eyes blazing, and she didn't let any of her worry show in her eyes or the set of her mouth. "I don't _want_ your help."

Lexi gazed at her condescendingly. "You and I both know that that's what you say every single time _. I don't want your help. I don't want to get better. Leave me alone._ "

"Maybe you should listen this time," Stephanie spat acidly, "Maybe it's none of your business what I do with my life. You're not my family and you're not my sire."

"I'm pretty sure Katherine, bitch though she is, wouldn't want you to be sleeping with the man that's been hunting her for over five hundred years," Lexi drawled and then tilted her head. "He really did a number on you, huh?"

"I love him," Stephanie lifted her chin, meeting Lexi's gaze without flinching.

"Can you say the same for him?" Stephanie saw the honest curiosity in Lexi's gaze, and she nodded.

"Yes."

"But he's the one that compelled you," Lexi said quietly as she walked towards Stephanie slowly. She knelt down. "If he really loved you, he wouldn't have had to compel your love, sweetie."

Steph felt both anger and embarrassment. "He just compelled me to be how I used to be, before. He didn't change me; I've always had the capacity to be like this. It just usually only comes out when I'm eating people." She arched a brow.

"Like me rephrase," Lexi suggested, "If he really loved you, Klaus would love all of you; not just the crazy, bloodthirsty parts."

"I'm _done_ talking about this," Stephanie declared slowly, her green eyes narrowed and her dried, cracked lips thin to convey her irritation, "So _pick_ a _new_ topic."

"You want to get started? Alright," Lexi nodded her head and then threw a glance to Jeremy. "Are you staying or is your sister waiting for you at home?"

"I'm staying," Jeremy said flatly and he stood at the wall, leaning against it with his arms folded loosely across his chest, eyes darting to Stephanie's face once before settling on Lexi again.

"It's not going to be pretty," She warned.

"Of course it won't be pretty," Stephanie snapped, "You're going to torture me."

Ignoring her, Lexi turned to Jeremy. "First step, Jeremy, is to dry her out," She leant forwards so that her sharp blue eyes met Stephanie's angered ones. "Starve out the bloodlust, strip away the temptation."

"This isn't going to work, Lexi, you can't do this," Stephanie laughed to hide the ice that had formed in her belly. Was this karma for torturing _him_?

"You heard the non-pretty part?" Lexi called over her shoulder and Jeremy nodded with the affirmative. Stephanie stilled in her chair as Lexi's eyes met hers.

"What are you doing?" She felt her skin start to tingle and sting; it was like tiny needles were starting to press into her whole body. The feeling intensified and she felt herself almost drying up; she felt like shriveling and curling up into a tiny ball to escape. Her lips parted and tiny gasps of pain frothed from her mouth and she saw Jeremy flinch when she whimpered. "What are you doing, Lexi?" She choked and grunted. Steph's eyes fell to her hand and she flinched so violently that the chair rocked backwards, but Lexi steadied it; Steph's hands looked like they were mummifying, desiccating into dry husks. Did her whole body look like that?

"I'm doing what I do best, sweetie," Lexi said flippantly, "I'm saving your life." The desiccation spread up her hands to her arms and over her shoulders and Stephanie threw her head back and _screamed_.

Lexi stepped back and looked away, but the pain didn't abate. Steph's screams petered off into grunts and pants and rivulets of sweat ran down her cheeks, making her hair stick to her skin. Where were Klaus and Rebekah?

"Jeremy," Stephanie rasped, "Please, I'm in pain. Jeremy, please, please help me."

"Don't listen; shut her out," Lexi commanded, her blue eyes narrowed.

"I'm helping you the only way that I know how Steph," Jeremy ignored Lexi and he pushed off of the wall and walked towards her slowly.

"You must be a pretty crummy boyfriend then," Stephanie choked out and she slid her eyes over to his face. "I'll change, I promise. Please, just please help me."

"It's a lie," Lexi immediately snapped, "She'll say anything right now."

"Jeremy, I'm sorry, just make it stop, please just make it stop," Stephanie begged and the fire spread through her body and her lips trembled.

"You have to separate yourself from your emotions," Lexi commanded him, "Don't let them rule your decisions in here. She needs our help and unfortunately, this is the only way to do that, like you said."

"Why can't you leave me alone!?" Stephanie screamed and she felt her fangs try to push themselves through her gums. "I'll fight the compulsion; I'll leave Mystic Falls! Elena can take care of herself! I'll leave with Rebekah and we'll find Klaus. We won't come back."

"We don't want you to leave, sweetie," Lexi crooned patronizingly, like she was a child, "We want you here, with us."

"But I don't want to be here, with _you_ ," Stephanie growled and she shook hands in their manacles, "Every single moment I've spent with you has been a total waste!" Jeremy's face was a cool, emotionless mask.

Lexi suddenly slammed a stake into Stephanie's stomach, just above her naval, making her scream. "That?" Lexi said smoothly, "That's the Ripper talking. Once she's weak enough, you have to cause her pain, so she'll feel things; anger, rage, anything. You have to make her see past the blood." Lexi stabbed Steph again and Stephanie felt the fine wooden tip of the stake burn as the other vampire buried it into her abdomen.

"I _do_ feel things!" Steph roared and to her shame, she felt tears mix with her sweat that was dripping down her face. "I feel anger! Resentment! Vengeful; I _tortured_ and _killed_ the man who raped me two years ago less than three hours ago! How's that for _feeling things_?"

The stake disappeared while Lexi tilted her head back. The lines around her eyes and mouth tightened and Jeremy reeled backwards. "Fredrick was brought back from the dead too?" He demanded.

"Yes," Stephanie gasped, relived that the pain had stop reverberating through her entire body, "He was. And he got what he deserved."

"You were sexually assaulted by another vampire?" Lexi interrupted, her face unreadable, but her tone was aghast. "You never called me. You never told me anything."

"I didn't advertise it the newspaper," Stephanie snapped, "I wasn't going around and calling people and announcing what had happened; if you were there, you knew."

"I'm your best friend," Lexi stated flatly. "I didn't deserve to know? I could have helped you."

"Like you're helping me now?" Stephanie scoffed, "Just get the hell out, Lexi. I'm done talking to you today."

"We'll be back later," Lexi relented and she snatched Jeremy's arm and led him from the cellar, letting the heavy steel door slam after them.

"Don't come back unless it's to unlock me," Stephanie said to the empty room, her eyes dull as the she pushed back the simmering anger. "Don't come back at all, unless it's to let me out."

* * *

Anna's eyes flew open, revealing blurry shapes above her head that did not clear until she shakily raised her hands and wiped aggressively at her eyes. She blinked rapidly and one of her hands flew to her mouth as her stomach gurgled with nausea.

"Don't puke on the bed," Someone drawled and there was suddenly a trash bin underneath Anna's nose – and not a moment too soon, for she let her hand fall to her side and her jaws unlocked. Blood poured from her mouth like a fountain, and she pressed her fingers into her stomach to assuage the churning. It didn't work, however, and Anna continued to regurgitate seemingly all of the blood she had ever ingested in her long, long vampire life.

Minutes, maybe hours (Anna could track the time she lost) later, Anna was dry heaving instead of spouting out her insides. Seeing nothing besides the quilt she laid on, Anna used the back of her hand to wipe the rusty tasting blood from her lips, fingers shaking. Her eyes slowly dragged up from the trash bin and she found that she was in a bed, on top of a mismatched quilt. The walls were midnight blue and the bedroom was sparse of anything else except an end table and an empty book shelf.

The door to the room was cracked and Anna slowly and painfully scooted her body back so she could see the witch, Faye, talking to another young woman, this one with straight blonde hair and an accent. Anna couldn't see her face, but she could tell from the tone of her voice that the woman was angry and saw that she was gestating with her hands; but that was all she could make out from her vantage point.

Anna felt almost deaf; all the sound was muted except for when the women raised their voices. Startled, Anna's fingers jumped to her neck probing until she found a pulse. She fell backwards in surprise at the steady _thump-thump, thump-thump_ of her now _human_ heart _._

"I'm human," She croaked out unsteadily and the noise in front of Anna's door settled and quieted. Faye and the other woman, who was slightly familiar, stepped inside the bedroom shoulder to shoulder. The blonde quirked a pencil thin brow at Anna.

"Looks like you forgot one," She snapped and her blonde hair flipped over her shoulder as she glared daggers at Faye.

"I didn't," Faye said steadily, eyes meeting the blonde's without flinching, which Anna could understand; whatever this blonde was, Faye was a strong witch who relied on magic that was outside of the Bennett girl's reach, which included bringing back the dead; she must have been extremely powerful, nearly unstoppable. "She wanted to come back to life and I was raising the dead anyway."

"What's in it for you?" The blonde asked a little suspiciously, completely ignoring Anna for the time being.

"She owes me a favor now," Faye shrugged and her face took on the most innocent quality that it could, which is to say, none at all.

"The other dead you brought back were in the same physical state they were in when they died," Rebekah was saying to Faye.

"I used a little something . . . extra to make sure Anna was human this time around." Faye's tight lipped smile revealed nothing and Anna was surprised to see the new woman back down.

"Just keep an eye out for the Bennett witch and her friends; they'll be after any magical troublemakers in their town," Rebekah folded her arms neatly across her chest, while Faye clearly ignored her warning, unafraid of high school students.

"Was that all you wanted to say, then? Because as lovely as this visit has been, I do have work to do," Faye replied and Anna eased back in the bed, gathering herself.

"I haven't heard from Steph in a while, so I'm going to go make sure she hasn't found herself any trouble," Rebekah said and Anna stiffened at the familiar name.

"Have fun with that," Faye said and Anna opened her eyes as soon as the witch and the vampire were gone from the bedroom. Standing unsteadily, Anna found that she was in a night gown that swallowed her. At the end of the bed were a pair of folded blue jeans and a white blouse, along with socks and shoes and under garments.

Anna snatched them and stole away into the bathroom, where she got under the hot spray of the shower, letting it wash away the blood from her body. Resting her head on the tile, Anna breathed in steadily through her mouth. Her wet hair clung to the back of her neck and would have chilled her if not for the burning water and the rising steam.

She washed her hair and scrubbed her body down before climbing out of the shower and quickly throwing the clothes on and stepping into the socks and shoes. Anna stole a glance in the mirror and paused. The girl she saw reflected was flushed from the neck up to her cheeks, but otherwise pale. Wet, stringy hair hung in her face, while dark eyes met hers with dark rings around them.

Anna turned away from the mirror and stepped out of the bathroom as her stomach grumbled at her grouchily. She settled a hand on it and quickly stepped around the bloody trash bin still by the bed. She left the bedroom and walked down the hall, not finding Faye until she stepped into the kitchen.

"I'm leaving," Anna announced.

Faye's dark, curly haired head popped up and she closed a grimoire with deft fingers. "Off you go then, little bird."

Anna's hands tightened into fists and she wondered what Faye would want from her "favor" that she now owed the witch. As if hearing her thoughts, the witch's golden eyes met hers.

"Oh, and Anna? Keep your eyes open and tell me anything important that concerns our Mystic Falls friends when you return, would you?"

Anna nodded once and she dashed out of the house as quickly as physically possible; she missed her vampire speed for what she knew would not be the last time in her now mortal life.

* * *

Damon walked into the living room of the Boarding House, a glass of his favorite bourbon in his hands, ice clinking against the glass. Surveying the room, Damon was satisfied to find everything there; Elena on the arm of the couch, Jeremy in between her and Lexi; across from them on the arm chair was a tightly wound Bonnie; standing behind the witch was Caroline and Tyler; and Alaric stood with his arms folded across his chest and his gaze leveled at Damon as he stood next to him.

"What are we all doing here for? And why isn't Matt here?" Bonnie asked waspishly and Damon rolled his eyes.

"I don't know if you haven't noticed, but Jockstrap isn't really central to our supernatural fighting/finding group, and he's at the Grill, where he usually is. Working," Damon drawled, unconcerned, while Bonnie glared.

"Because his sister is dead and his parents are deadbeat losers," Bonnie shot back, hair crackling in anger.

Before Damon could snap a witty retort, Elena stood and placed herself in between them. "Bonnie," She gave Damon a tired glance, "Damon. Come on, let's act like adults. What did you call everyone here for, Damon?" She blinked up her doe eyes at him and he saw the weariness there and he felt stirrings of guilt.

"I'd like to know that as well," Lexi snapped and Damon was surprised; she was usually much nicer when she was in company. "I have to get back to rehabilitating your sister. You know, the girl who just spent the night torturing her _rapist_. Which I never knew about, by the way. Someone want to explain _that_ one to me?"

The silence that settled over the room was stifling and uncomfortable, and in an attempt to roll it off his shoulders, Damon said, "It wasn't any of your business."

"I've been her best friend since the 1865; I'd damn well say that it's my business," Lexi snapped, blue eyes flashing as his nostrils flared.

"Let's talk about this later, alright," Damon glared, "because there are a few pressing issues that we need to talk about. The first one is this: Mason Lockwood told me and Rick that Tyler's been Sired by Klaus." He let that settle and the confusion began to stir shortly afterwards.

"I'm sorry, I've been what?" Tyler demanded angrily.

"Sired: it means that you're going to do whatever Klaus tells you to do because you're basically his dirty little bitch," Damon said flatly and smirked when Tyler's eyes narrowed in anger and Caroline shrilly let out a noise of astonishment.

"Excuse me, could you repeat that?" Bonnie asked with narrowed eyes and the air grew drier.

Damon sighed gustily. "A sire bond sometimes forms between a vampire and the person they turn. They do everything for the person they're sired to, whatever their actual feelings on the matter; they don't have a choice. Most time you don't even know that you've been sired."

"And Uncle Mason said that _I_ was sired to _Klaus_?" Tyler demanded. "How do I know that you're telling the truth?"

"Because I was there too," Alaric interrupted, his voice firm and soothing, "and you can trust me. Mason said that you were sired."

"And there's not much you can do to break the bond unless Klaus is dead," Damon continued, "which brings us to our next order of business; Mason was about to show me a way to kill Klaus, but Barbie Klaus killed him before it could be done."

"What was he showing you?" Elena asked him, lips pursed and her hands settled on her hips.

"There's this thing beneath the Lockwood's cellar," Damon waved a hand dismissively, "but it's sealed shut due to the reason the dead were temporarily brought back to life: one of Rebekah's witchy friends has blown into town and is evidently stirring trouble for the hell of it, and here to do whatever Barbie Klaus says."

"Why did I never know it was there? The place beneath my property?" Tyler demanded, while Bonnie suggested that she lift the seal.

"You can try, Judgy, but I doubt it'll work," Damon said unconvinced.

"Oh?" Bonnie's eyes were lidded dangerously.

"I've just got a feeling," Damon wiggled his brows, "that this might be over your head."

Seeing a fight about to break out, Elena hurried to cut in, "But we've still got Mikael to take out Klaus, right? So no problem."

Damon winced and everyone looked at him.

"What happened?" Jeremy demanded.

"We lost Mikael," Damon admitted, "Katherine said he drinks the blood of other vampires and he attacked her. When she woke up, he was gone."

Silence was there only companion for several minutes.

"Is anything else going to go wrong?" Jeremy demanded angrily and his eyes flashed. He crossed his arms over his chest defensively as he started to pace in small lines.

"We need to figure out more about Mikael," Elena announced.

"How?" Jeremy asked her as he passed her spot.

"We go straight to the source; Rebekah," She responded grimly, "I can do it."

"Not alone," Damon said incredulously. "We'll go together and see where she is, starting at the Grill and the school."

"I'm coming too," Jeremy said flatly and Damon didn't have the heart to say no, and though Elena's lips flattened into a thin line, she said nothing.

"I think we should test this sire bond thing," Lexi spoke up for the first time since her angry outburst at the begging of their meeting, "to make sure that Lockwood Senior was telling the truth. He was dead; he could have been stirring up trouble."

"By doing what?" Damon asked as he rolled his eyes, "And why would Mason want to mess with his nephew?"

"I'm still here, you know," Tyler snapped, but was ignored by all but Caroline.

"Tyler," Lexi stood, ignoring Damon, and walked over to the new hybrid in the silence of the room. Elena placed her fingers around Damon's wrist to keep him from saying something scathing. "Do you know where Stephanie is?"

Tyler's brows furrowed, confused. "No?"

"She's being dried out so that she doesn't have her bloodlust anymore. We're saving her," Lexi tilted her head and they all watched as Tyler's face twitched with a muscle spasm. He stood up abruptly and turned to leave, his eyes a little clouded.

"Tyler!" Caroline hissed, "Where are you going?"

"You can't torture Klaus' girlfriend," Tyler told her and the rest of the room seemed to stop breathing at once. "He wouldn't like that."

"This is a problem," Damon said in the ensuing silence, and the atmosphere in the room was of a general consent.

* * *

Anna found a seat in the Grill at the bar and instantly realized that she no longer had the ability to compel the bartender to ignore her physical age and give her a drink – something she wanted very badly at that moment. She sank in her seat until a blonde bus boy approached her as he wiped down the counter. Mark? Marius? Max? Matt?

Matt, Anna decided, that must have been his name. He was fuzzy in her memories, but definitely there somewhere. His blue eyes looked up and met hers, squinting a little. "Do I know you?"

"Maybe," Anna replied quietly. "I used to live here. Came back recently."

Matt snorted. "Probably not the wisest thing to do, but you got to do what your parents tell you, I guess."

"I'm an orphan," Anna blurted awkwardly and shifted her seat uncomfortably while Matt stilled.

"I'm sorry," He said, eyes flicking around. "My parents are MIA. But what are you going to do?" He shrugged.

"Sorry," Anna repeated and was pleased to see Matt's lip quirk up in the corner.

"Nothing to be done about it," He fumbled with the tub of dishes and from somewhere behind the bar, a shout came for Matt to hurry. "I've got to get back to work . . ."

"Anna," Anna said quickly and Matt nodded.

"Matt." He adjusted his grip on the dishes and tacked on slowly, "Maybe we could do . . . an activity together sometime?"

Anna felt her lips pull into a smile. "Sounds like fun, Matt."

"See you around then, Anna," Matt nodded and he slipped behind the counter and out the door towards the kitchens. A waiter came by and Anna politely ordered water and a salad and she settled by herself again.

"You're dead." Anna grew cold and her insides twisted as she heard that familiar voice. "I understand how you might have been around yesterday, but today's a new day, where there are only supposed to be alive and undead people walking around. And it is worth mentioning that you should be neither right about now."

Anna's eyes darted up and met Damon Salvatore's icy blue ones.

"Does Jockstrap know that? Or that you used to be a vampire?" Seeing her surprised, Damon smirked, "Yes, I can tell that you're a human again." He slid into the barstool next to her and leant in. "So, I'm curious. How'd you get the witch to keep you alive?"

Anna's heart fluttered and she turned to slip out the other side of the stool, only to find Elena sliding in next to her there, boxing the girl in. On Elena's other side was the kid brother, Jeremy. Anna swallowed thickly and relaxed her shoulders. She was older than Damon by centuries; she was smarter than he was.

Maybe she could leverage some information in return for them leaving her alone.

Through half lidded eyes, she focused on the vampire next to her. "I know that you're after Mikael; I'm going to tell you precisely why you should have left him buried and dead."

* * *

Rebekah left Faye's hotel room and she did what she'd said she would; she looked for Stephanie. She started at the school for obvious reasons, but she slipped out just as quickly when it became apparent she wasn't there. She had a brief pop in at the Grill, but the only ones there that she knew were Damon, Elena, Jeremy, and that human girl that had been at Faye's hotel room. Rebekah had narrowed her eyes at them sitting together, but ultimately did nothing; all the girl was doing was warning them off Mikael, which she was glad for.

Rebekah's next stop was the Boarding House, but there was no one there; only a few traces of their scents from earlier that day remained.

Frustrated, Rebekah contemplated calling Faye for a locator spell or maybe even calling Nik (he'd been gone for a truly long time now, but Rebekah was reluctant to admit she was a tad worried) but decided against it. The Original ended up following her friend's scent around town, trying to find the most recent trail and found herself at an old structure on some old property owned by one of the "Founding" families.

Inside, she could hear her best friend screaming.

Infuriated, Rebekah dove inside and found a blonde vampire standing in front of Stephanie; her friend was cuffed into a chair by steel manacles and her prominent green eyes were stuck open, rounded in fear or pain or both, meeting those of her captor's, who was leaning forwards and playing some mind tricks.

"Party's over, darlings," Rebekah drawled and the other blonde whirled around.

"You," She spat, her blond braid swinging, "You're one of _them_ ; an Original. Rebekah, right?"

Rebekah pretended to admire her nails, but all she could really do was focus on Steph, who was nearly panting from exertion with rivulets of sweat dripping down her pale face. Her hair was almost stringy and it was stuck to her face and her neck because of the moisture that had accumulated.

"I'm not sorry to say that I haven't had the _pleasure_ of meeting you quite yet," Rebekah said and she furrowed her brows in mock confusion. "You're . . . who, again?"

"Alexandria Branson," The other blonde spat, "and you're not taking Stephanie. I'm helping her."

"You're torturing her," Rebekah replied bluntly, "And it is nice to put a name to a face; I've heard of you before." She leant in as if telling a secret, "And you weren't mentioned fondly, if you were wondering." Rebekah took her time sashaying over to the other end of the cellar and her eyes climbed upwards towards the shuttered window that was blocking the sun; it had a string that could be pulled at any time to let the light in and fry any unprotected vampire.

"So," Rebekah continued, "if you don't mind, I'm just going to take my friend back home. And if you do mind, that's not really my problem, now, is it?" In a burst of speed, Rebekah flashed over to Lexi's side and attempted to snap her neck, but Lexi ducked, raking her nails along Rebekah's arms as she did, drawing blood.

Rebekah hissed and felt her fangs drop. "You'll pay that one, darling. Sooner or later." She spun and pushed Lexi up against the wall and crushed her wrists with her stronger fingers. Leaning forwards so that their noses almost touched, Rebekah breathed, "But first, I'm going to get my best friend out of here." She snapped Lexi's neck in a swirl of air and color and let the younger blonde's body drop.

"Now," Rebekah announced with a smile to her friend, "ready to go?"

Attempting a grin, Steph nodded her head. "I'd like that," She huffed, "and I'd love to get something to eat."

"That can certainly be arranged." The grin Rebekah offered was all teeth.

* * *

"Before I tell you anything, you have to give to me your word that you'll all leave me alone," Anna said flatly and she met each of their eyes firmly.

"Well, if we're going that road, we want to know how you're still alive," Damon smirked.

"Faye kept me alive because I was there when she was raising the dead. I could have ratted her out," Anna said immediately, "There. So give me your word or you won't find out another damn thing from me." It was a bit of a gamble, what with her being human and not on vervain yet, but still, the trio exchanged wary glances, before finally nodding their heads in agreement.

"You have our word," Elena said quietly, and so Anna took the plunge.

"Mikael is a vampire who drinks other vampires' blood," Anna explained carefully and saw that none of her guests were surprised.

"Tell us something we don't know," Damon rolled his eyes and tapped his wrist in a mockery of touching a watch.

"He's the Originals' father," Anna said flatly and was pleased to see the air swept straight out from underneath their feet.

"What? How?" Jeremy demanded with his hazel eyes narrowed menacingly, his hands tightening into fists.

"I don't know the whole story, but what I do know I overheard from my mother and Katherine," Anna explained to them, "Mikael has been hunting Klaus and his other children for most of their time as vampires, though as for why, I have no idea. You also need to know that there are more Originals than just Elijah, Rebekah, and Klaus; there are also two more brothers, Fin and Kol. They've been daggered, with some special dagger that's been dipped in oak ash; I'm not sure how that works or why. I don't really know about Elijah, but seeing as he's not around, I'd say he has been put down temporarily as well."

She stopped, letting the others take that in.

"Mikael is a horrible man; he kills other vampires like they're nothing, even ones like Stephanie used to be: good, kind vampires that don't kill. After he helps you kill Klaus, he'll turn on you like a rabid dog," Anna warned.

"And you overheard this all from Katherine and Pearl?" Damon asked skeptically.

"Yes, and now that you know all about Mikael's nefarious plans, you'll leave me alone. Like you swore," Anna declared, and when the trio made no move to stop her, got up and quickly scurried away from them.

The Gilbert's and Damon sat in silence for a moment together, before they all came to one simultaneous thought:

"We still need more information," Jeremy said flatly, "Anna knows a lot, but some of it could be lies."

"Or completely lost in translation," Elena carried on the thought grimly, "just like the Sun and the Moon curse; created to throw others off the trail."

"So, it looks like we need to find Barbie Klaus after all, before we try to help Tyler and his Sire Bond," Damon completed and trio left together as a unit, headed out for the Boarding House, which was the only place that Rebekah might be besides with Faye, their freaky new witch neighbor.

We'll have to address _her_ sometime in the future, Damon thought to himself grimly. It had been a mistake to bring her into their town a couple of years ago; she stirs trouble wherever she goes and it was just asking for problems.

"If only that stupid tomb hadn't existed," Damon muttered under his breath.

.

.

.

They got to the Boarding House to a surprising sight; Rebekah and Stephanie with suitcases heading out to Stephanie's car. The Original Bitch was explaining about Faye and the raised dead while Steph's eyes were far off, most likely thinking of her own misadventures with one zombie in particular that day. She said nothing about it though, leading Damon to the conclusion that she was keeping secrets from her 'bestie'.

"How did you get out, little sister?" Damon drawled, not really that concerned; he'd been planning on springing Steph that evening, anyway, as he wasn't really a fan of Lexi's 'rehabilitation' plan. He'd planned on attempting to turn her to their side though, which would have been a great advantage to their side. However, she looked better than when he had last seen her; her hair was full and curled and she was wearing her makeup again (not smudged) and her skin tight jeans and leather jacket had made their reappearance, along with her boots.

Her lips curled up in a wicked smirk when she saw Damon watching her, before she said to him, "Bekah let me out. Otherwise I might've been little more than an animated corpse by now. Thanks for that, by the way, Elena."

"I'm not sorry," Elena said firmly. "Where's Lexi?"

"Stake her?" Jeremy tried to be nonchalant.

"Just snapped her neck," Rebekah said with an arched brow. "For now."

"Where are you headed?" Damon asked with a slow smirk.

"Nik's new place," Rebekah replied easily, "and don't bother following us. Faye's got the place spelled for special access; you won't be able to get in without an explicit invitation. Any of you," She added as her eyes slid over Jeremy and Elena, the humans of the group.

"So, we'll be off," Stephanie announced flatly and she stuffed her bags into the trunk of her car.

"Oh, before you leave," Damon called, "I think you'll be interested in hearing a little something that we found out."

"I don't think we will be," Steph shot back.

"Well, we'd just like to know why you," Jeremy gave Rebekah a pointed look, "have spent a thousand years running from your father."

Stephanie and Rebekah both stilled and Damon kept his eyes on them. Rebekah appeared to be chilled to the bone even at the mention of Mikael, while Stephanie was merely anxious. What did she know? How _much_ did she know?

"We'd really best be off," Rebekah said coldly.

"Maybe we should just ask Mikael when he wake him," Elena bluffed and Damon side eyed her, but played along. They may not know where Mikael was anymore because of Katherine and Anna seemed to think he was a death monger, but to Rebekah and Stephanie, he was just bad news, and it was a good way to scare some information from them.

"You're bluffing," Rebekah called Elena's bluff, but on the wrong thing, "You don't know where he is; no one does."

"Then who's rotting in that old cemetery in Charlotte?" Damon asked with a lazy smirk.

"If you wake Mikael, then we are all doomed," Rebekah hissed, forgetting all pretenses as her anger grew.

"Why is that, Beks?" Damon asked, "Huh?"

"Why do you want to know?" Steph snapped.

"Why don't you want us to know?" Jeremy shot back.

Rebekah quieted and Stephanie's lips pressed into a thin line. Her green eyes flashed to Rebekah's curiously and Damon realized that she really didn't know much more than they did. Steph hated Mikael because two of the people she loved hated him, Damon thought; it was that simple.

"How do you even know as much as you know right now?" Rebekah finally asked, huffing.

"We've got some little birdies," Damon said smoothly, not giving away a thing. Anna was human and therefore vulnerable, and Katherine had actually done them a favor for once. He'd be nice and let her off, just that one time.

"What do you want to know, then?" Rebekah asked coldly, "I may not answer, of course."

"How did you end up here?" Elena took the lead, "How did you turn into vampires? Why has Mikael been chasing his children for so long?"

After exchanging a look with Stephanie, Rebekah flipped her hair back over her shoulder and started to speak, "My parents had just started a family when a plague struck their homeland; they lost their first child to it. They wanted to escape, so they left in order to save their future family from the same fate. We got to Mystic Falls because my mother knew a witch called Ayanna, who had heard from the spirits about a mystical land where everyone was healthy: blessed with gifts of speed and strength. That led us here and we lived among those people."

"Werewolves?" Elena asked, clearly surprised and Damon folded his arms across his chest.

"They were just our neighbors," Rebekah defended, "We lived in peace with them for over twenty years, in which my family had more children."

"It sounds so . . . normal," Jeremy murmured.

"It was," Rebekah agreed, "until one full moon, Klaus and our youngest brother, Henrik, snuck out to watch the men turned into beasts. That was a mistake, and Henrik paid the price."

Damon stiffened. Anna hadn't mentioned another brother.

"Henrik was dead and it was the beginning of the end of the peace with the werewolves. And it was one of the last moments that my family had together as humans," Rebekah explained. She took a step back and titled her head, and seemingly changing the topic, said, "That necklace of Steph's that Damon gave you? It wasn't hers to give, you know."

"Well, I'm sure you're about to tell us who it really belonged to," Damon drawled.

"It was the Original Witch's," Rebekah continued.

"The same witch who cursed Klaus?"

"She was the one who turned us into vampires," Rebekah elaborated and Damon wondered if she took pleasure from seeing them shocked. "Vampirism was a form of protection for us; it would keep us safe from the werewolves."

"Why not just leave instead?" Jeremy asked her intently.

"Pride," Was all she said on the matter, "So my father, and my mother, went about finding a way to make us better than the werewolves."

"How could they do anything?"

"My mother was the Original Witch," Rebekah revealed. "I had been one too, but as soon as I turned, I was cut off from nature and my gifts were taken from me. They turned us by gathering us all into our home; Mother called upon the sun for life, the ancient white oak tree – one of earth's eternal objects – for immortality. That night, my father us wine laced with blood; then he drove his sword through our hearts."

"Welcome to club," Damon said, unmoved. His father had shot him and Stephanie through the hearts, killing them and sending them into transition.

Rebekah glared, but only continued her tale, "We had to drink more blood to finish the ritual; it was euphoric. But the witch, Ayanna, was correct about the consequences she'd forewarned our mother about; for every strength we had, there was a weakness. The sun, vervain that grew at the base of the white oak tree, the necessity of an invitation to enter a home and the greatest of them all; the white oak from the tree would kill us. So we burned it to the ground. The darkest consequence was the hunger for blood," Rebekah said, "The uncontrollable lust for the life giving substance that ran through all humans' veins."

Their little group was deadly silent for several moments. Stephanie's face was unreadable.

"Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?" Elena broke the tension.

"When Nik made his first human kill, he triggered his werewolf gene," Stephanie replied, to the group's surprise. Klaus had let her in on this little secret? "Their mother had had an affair that resulted in Klaus' birth and then lycanthropy."

"She tried to make it right; she made the Hybrid curse to suppress his werewolf side and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. And then he came home and killed her."

"Mama Witch killed Papa Vampire?" Damon asked incredulously and was shushed by Elena, who was horrified.

"He said that she'd broken his heart," Rebekah explained listlessly, "and so he'd break hers. Literally, actually; he ripped it from her chest as Nik watched. He left and the rest of us scattered, except for Nik who helped me bury our mother. Later, Elijah came back and we promised we would stick together. Forever."

"That didn't last long," Damon muttered.

"We're vampires, Damon, and you should know all that that entails," Rebekah snapped angrily, "As much as you and Stephanie fight, you're siblings. You'll never hate each other. Elijah and our other brothers have been daggered for their safety. They'll be revived when Mikael has perished."

Tears had gathered in Rebekah's eyes and she quickly and deftly wiped them away. "Story time's over, children. Steph and I will take our leave now."

"So that's your reasoning for keeping Mikael locked away forever?" Jeremy interrupted as they went over to Steph's car to slide in.

"Yes," Rebekah said levelly, "Though I know you'll still rouse him. I know that you want him to kill my brother."

"It's not a secret that we want the guy dead," Damon told her pointedly.

"He has a hold over Stephanie's life," Jeremy added. "And over ours."

"Do whatever you want," Rebekah waved a hand, "But make no mistake, Elena. Jeremy. Damon. If any of you come after my brother, we'll stop you. I may save you," She indicated Damon, "because of Steph's sentimentality, but no one else. I have my father's temper, after all."

In a flash of dark and light hair, the vampire ladies were gone down the street in Stephanie's classic car, speeding away, away, away.

"We need to check on Lexi," Elena said as soon as they were gone and Damon rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"We-"

"You must be the Gilberts. And one of the Salvatore set," An accented and cultured voice said behind them and they spun around almost comically. Damon put himself between Elena and Jeremy and the new vampire that stood there, amused. "Oh, I'm not here to hurt them. But I am here to correct a few points of my daughter's story."

"You're Mikael," Elena breathed.

"And you're the spitting image of Tatia," Mikael mused.

"Who?"

"Never mind that," Mikael said firmly, "Is Klaus out of the country?"

"We don't know anything about Klaus' whereabouts," Elena said grimly and she stepped out from behind Damon's back.

"That is a problem," Mikael observed.

"But we know someone who can lure him back," Jeremy interrupted, making Damon and Elena both turn and stare.

"Who might that be?" Mikael inquired cordially.

"Stephanie. Damon's sister," Jeremy said quietly, "She could bring him back if he's not already on his way." He seemed to have trouble spitting out his next words, "He says he loves her, I guess, and she's in love with him. Or she's been compelled to, or something."

"That is interesting," Mikael murmured and he addressed Damon, "I'll make you a deal; get your little sister to have Niklaus return to Mystic Falls and I'll kill him. If she isn't able to, I'll kill her, instead." The trio was speechless as Mikael started away. He paused quickly, "Oh, and children? That story of me killing Esther? Is a lie. Niklaus is the one that killed the Original Witch, not I."

He was gone before a one of them could protest.

* * *

Stephanie and Rebekah pulled up to a large mansion and parked in the garage. Walking in together, they found that the place was lavish and beautiful in nearly every way.

"Do you like it, Rebekah? Love?"

The two vampires turned their heads to find Klaus lazily walking down the staircase with a wide smirk on his ruby lips.

"Klaus," Stephanie breathed and her eyes lit up when they settled on the Hybrid. His smirk turned into a genuine smile as Steph and he met at the base of the staircase, finding each other in their arms. Rebekah rolled her eyes at them, but hid a small smile of her own.

"Nik," She greeted coolly, "Guess who blew into town? Faye Chamberlain. I wonder why that was . . ." She arched her brows at him.

Hand in hand with Stephanie, Klaus walked towards Rebekah. "Well, sister, I thought it was high time that we got rid of Mikael, so I sent for a little help."

Intrigued, Stephanie's eyes searched out Klaus'. "What about your hybrids?" The question appeared to be some kind of signal because suddenly the room was full with nearly twenty other people, flashing into the foyer as quick as blinking.

"That's why I've away for so long," Klaus announced grandly, "I've amassed my foot soldiers. Lovelies, these are the ones that will help us defeat Mikael, along with Miss Faye Chamberlain." The hybrids moved almost mechanically to let the dark headed witch through them. A smirk was playing on her plump lips and one of her fingers was twirling a strand of her hair playfully.

"When do we start planning?" Faye drawled, golden eyes flashing with something close to excitement.

Stephanie's hand squeezed Klaus' and he glanced down at her before he turned back to the witch. "In the morning, sweetheart. I've yet to be reacquainted with my little love." Together, he and Stephanie climbed the elaborate staircase together. "Mind the hybrids, won't you Bekah?"

Steph missed her response because she was too intent on shoving Klaus through the correct bedroom door. They slammed it behind them and Klaus lifted Steph up so that she could wrap her legs around his lean waist.

"God, I missed you," Stephanie growled, teeth raking Klaus' neck, "Do you realize how terribly boring this town is? Lexi came back and they all tried to rescue me again."

"Oh? Didn't work, clearly," Klaus muttered as they moved to the bed and clothes were rapidly disappearing.

"No," Steph grunted and hissed Klaus' mouth.

"Anything else happen?" Klaus asked into her lips and his mouth roved down, down, down to her jugular. A picture of Fredrick hanging from the ceiling of that old cellar flashed into her mind, but Steph pushed it away as quickly as she could.

Klaus bit into her neck and she breathed out, sighing.

"Not a thing," She lied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'd love it if you all would review :) Also, is anyone else a fan of the Beautiful Creatures novels? Did you see the movie?


	7. welcome to the new age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,  
> you're stayin alive, stayin alive.  
> Feel the city breaking and everybody shaking,  
> and were stayin alive, stayin alive.  
> Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive, stayin alive.  
> Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or the secret circle. Sorry for the long wait! I'll try to be quicker next time.

Stephanie blinked awake in soft downy sheets and a large, thick bedspread wrapped around her small form and used her left arm to sweep Klaus' side of the bed. When all she found was rumpled blankets instead of her lover, she was unsurprised; Klaus was not one to lie in on his best days, except in very rare occasions. Steph sat up and slipped from the bed, heading over to the spacious closet in the bedroom Klaus had led her into the previous night. On the floor, she found her suitcase and set to dressing quickly and efficiently.

The bedroom they'd spent the night in had to be Klaus'; already there were a few pieces of art that he admired and hanging in the closet were a few of his suits and informal clothing. There was a large, ornate dresser close to the door and the four poster bed was of the same make and from the same time period. A Persian rug stretched out from the center of the hardwood floor to the fringes of the room. End tables sat on either side of the bed, which was lavish and had blood red hangings. The window was blocked by a heavy curtain, but if Stephanie were to push the drapery aside, it would lead to a small balcony as white as snow that would overlook the property of the backyard that would stretch as far as the eye could see.

Stephanie stepped out of the bedroom and let it click shut behind her quietly. She walked down the hall and went the top of the spiraling staircase, where her sensitive hearing let her know that the twenty or so hybrids were up and about, rustling around in the living room. A raised voice indicated Faye Chamberlain's presence, which stirred up mixed feelings. While the witch was clearly working with them at the moment, she had betrayed them two years ago in taking the Bennett grimoire and leaving the tomb unsealed. Just the thought of her in their home made an angry fire start in her belly.

Rebekah was already awake as well and from her tone, most likely imperiously directing a few of the hybrids around. Klaus was commanding the room though, drawing attention to himself, most likely standing front and center (and basking in the attention he was receiving).

Steph's tongue slid over her gums and her needlepoint incisors responded by pushing through. She swallowed, hungry, but she made her way down the stairs and followed the sound of planning and frantic words and male posturing. She found everyone in the lavish living room and situated as she'd knew they would be; Klaus in the middle with Rebekah at his left hand, Faye at hers, and the hybrids were all around the fringes and looking for direction.

"It was about time you joined us, love," Klaus called and he smiled but it was not a kind one. "I was about to come find you myself, actually. I'd like to formally introduce you to my hybrids," He waved a hand about the room and Stephanie felt her eyebrows arch and her lips quirk when they all ducked their heads at her, "Stephanie, love, this is our army. Ladies and gents, this is Stephanie." Klaus' voice lowered, "You're to sacrifice your life for hers and Rebekah's if necessary, if Mikael so much as makes a move towards either one of them."

They all nodded and the derisive comment fell from Stephanie's lips, "Have you got them all trained or do they come this way for free?"

Rebekah snickered and Klaus let out a deep laugh, while all the hybrids shuffled on their feet.

"Clever," Klaus murmured but he was tense and a little angry, clearly anxious about his impending standoff with his father, "but do refrain from insulting the ones that will be helping us get rid of Mikael this evening, love."

Stephanie arched a brow and curiously asked, "Tonight?"

"My little bird told me she saw him stop in the Grill last night," Faye spoke up, "I also found out that Damon Salvatore's gang were the ones that woke him up, with some help from Katherine Pierce."

"Katherine," Steph felt the veins crawling down her cheeks become visible and her fangs start to slip forwards in her unchecked anger, while Klaus' fists clenched at the sound of her name. Her mind lingered of Damon's name and she hoped that he would keep out of trouble.

"Katarina will pay for her indiscretions," Klaus vowed mutinously, "but for now, we have some further planning to do. We were just figuring out where to lay our ambush." His brows rose and he curiously asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

Stephanie slinked over to Klaus' side, hardly sparing the hybrids a glance, and stood hip to hip with him. "Everyone will be at the high school's decade dance tonight; it's bound to draw his attention, especially if he thinks we'll be there."

"Except for the fact that's it's been canceled," Rebekah put it, her lips pursing in a manner that was dangerously close to pouting. She lit up a little as she further explained, "I already have the perfect set up though; Tyler Lockwood is throwing a party at his house to replace the Homecoming dance. Because the brat's sired to you, he'll do just about anything I say. He wouldn't want Klaus' sister to be upset, would he? If we do it there tonight, I just have to tell him the party will now be for Mikael's wake."

"How did you find out the dance was canceled?" Stephanie asked curiously.

Rebekah smirked. "Like I said, Tyler's been Sired and he'll do anything for Klaus' sister."

"Fantastic," Klaus' lips stretched into a wide grin. "We'd best start getting ready, shouldn't we?"

* * *

"So, have you spoken to Miss Salvatore yet?" The cultured tones made the small group at the Salvatore Boarding House start in surprise. Damon, Elena, Jeremy, and Lexi had gathered in the living room and were quietly planning amongst themselves as they awaited Caroline and Alaric's arrival. Tyler was being left out of the main plans, worried as they were about his Sire bond affecting his judgment.

"No, but a couple of friends of ours saw him breeze through the hospital for blood bags, surprisingly," Damon drawled, unaffected by the Original's arrival. "So, he's back in town. What are you going to do? Walk into Klaus' house and kill him?"

"No," Mikael shook his head slowly, "No. Instead, we will meet him in neutral ground. That gives him not a lot of 'home' advantages."

"'Neutral ground?" Jeremy asked with an arched brow, clearly unimpressed with the Original's master plan.

"The ball that the educational institution is holding this evening," Mikael said easily, "I imagine Rebekah will desire to go and Niklaus has never declined any of her wishes in my experience. We will meet there together; Miss Gilbert will dagger my daughter (as a human is necessary to use one such dagger), one of you shall take care of the Salvatore girl, and I will take care of Klaus."

"Bonnie can keep Faye occupied," Elena said hesitantly, "And Caroline wouldn't mind distracting Stephanie . . . this could almost work except for the fact that the dance has been canceled. Tyler's holding a part at his house for Homecoming, instead."

"Tyler's been Sired," Jeremy stated for Mikael, "He might help him."

"Then you'll just have to keep him busy as well," Mikael said aloofly.

"How do you plan on killing Klaus?" Lexi asked the Original sharply.

Mikael told her, "I am in possession of a stake, fashioned from the ancient wood of the white oak tree."

"Where is it?" Damon was focused on other things, "Where's the special stake?"

"Not here," Mikael said quietly, "That's an insurance policy, you see. Klaus will come to the dance, because he does in fact wish me dead and he most likely believes that he has the tools to do it. That is highly unlikely."

"How can you be so sure?" Jeremy asked him.

"Because he is Niklaus; he is impulsive and never plans things out far enough so that he can achieve victory. He will come to the dance halfcocked and arrogant and that will be his downfall," Mikael heartlessly explained, "I raised the boy, after all; I know him better than any of you."

The small group was quiet and they gathered into a small huddle. "Can we trust him?" Lexi hissed quietly, eyes darting over to Mikael and back, "He just showed up out of nowhere from what you told me last night."

"He's our only hope of getting rid of Klaus and the compulsion on Steph," Jeremy said firmly, "We have to trust him."

"Should we wait and plan this out a little better?" Elena asked nearly soundlessly, "Wait until _after_ the party tonight? That gives us a little time. And besides; Tyler's isn't really neutral ground at all."

"This plan could cause a lot of collateral damage," Lexi agreed.

"But will we get a much better chance? Klaus could be building up his forces," Damon argued, "If we wait much longer, he'll have enough time to get his witch and his hybrids for reinforcements," Damon argued, "Who's to say we stand a chance with three vampires (if we count Caroline), Mikael, and couple of humans against all of that?" The small group thought on that.

"So, what do we do, then?" Jeremy's brows furrowed, "Go to the party like nothing's happening and spring this on Klaus when he's getting some punch?

"We'll get some vervain and wolfs bane grenades," Elena suggested, "Ask Bonnie to help occupy Faye if she's there and get Caroline to distract Stephanie. I'll dagger Rebekah like Mikael suggested. Someone can be on Tyler, but he's likely to be with Caroline the whole night. Rick could help them."

"And then we get Klaus cornered and unleash our secret weapon: Mikael," Lexi's eyes darted back to Mikael and it was clear that he was paying strict attention.

"Are you quite done debating my plan?" Mikael drawled.

"We'll call some of our friends to help us." Damon let a smirk grace his features and felt stirrings of hope enter his gut; they just might be able to pull this thing off. "We've got a dance to get ready for, people." As everyone cleared away, he pulled out this phone and dialed one more person.

They might need an extra doppelgänger that evening, just in case.

* * *

Anna woke up at Faye's hotel room for the second time in her life and dug around in the taller girl's closet until she found another outfit that would work if she adjusted it a little bit. She found the witch in the small kitchenette of the room, clearly busy with spells and grimoires. Faye's golden eyes lifted to meet hers and they narrowed at her clothing.

"You need to do something about . . . that," She waved a hand and with a murmured incantation, Anna found that the clothes suddenly shrunk in the right places and the outfit fit her like a glove. "That's better, though I recommend getting a job or something, little bird, for the extra money. I won't exactly be in town much longer."

"Thanks," _but I know how to dress myself_ , went unsaid. She was grateful, if irritated by Faye's methods and attitude. Anna found herself drawn to Faye's little workstation. "Where are you going?"

"Well, since you clued me in on Mikael's arrival last night – thanks, by the way – we're stepping up our plan. Then I won't need to be in Mystic Falls any longer, and I'll go back to my own little town," Her golden eyes narrowed at that, and Anna wondered if the witch's hometown was as senseless as Mystic Falls. More than likely, she thought decisively.

Faye met her eyes and frowned. "What do you feel about Homecoming, little bird?"

"I already have a date in mind," Anna said slyly and thought about little innocent Matt Donovan back at the Grill.

"Lovely."

* * *

Rebekah was attired in a beautiful red dress and she'd styled her curl in neat curls that fell just to her shoulders. Stephanie wasn't as elaborately dressed as Rebekah, but she had taken the time to choose appropriate clothing that would both satisfy Rebekah's neuroticism and turn Klaus' head.

"Are you ready? Klaus is impatient and has already sent ahead his hybrids, and I'm certain that Faye has been over at the Lockwood's for the better part of the afternoon." And she was starving.

"Yes, I'm ready," Rebekah said imperiously, "though I only wished that I had my necklace back." They hooked elbows and together with Klaus left the Mikaelson Mansion – as it had been dubbed – and headed over to the Lockwood blowout.

* * *

"How did Tyler plan a better party than I could have on such short notice?" Caroline asked, aghast, as she and Bonnie Bennett stepped over the threshold into Tyler's large home. The blonde was two parts horrified and impressed.

"Who are all of these people? We didn't plan for this many when we were thinking about tonight," Bonnie said and her mouth pulled down into a fierce frown. She wanted Klaus dead and gone, but she wasn't going to risk innocents' lives.

"Where _is_ Tyler?" Caroline growled, "I'm supposed to be finding him and Steph, anyway. Distraction is the game tonight." The blonde bombshell dove into the crowd, while Bonnie stayed behind. The witch was interested in someone entirely different that evening. As Bonnie made her way through the crowd, she could feel the tendrils of magic weighing on the house, spells threading through spells in enchantments that she had never known about before. If she had the time, Bonnie would have paused to feel out the new magic and integrate some new methods with her own. As it was, she had a job to do.

The music from the band pulsed, a loud distraction that could end up being deadly. "Probably the intention, I'm sure," Bonnie muttered under her breath. Her dark eyes searched the floor for the other witch, someone she'd never actually met before. Damon had described her to Bonnie as a nearing middle age women with golden eyes, wild dark hair, and wicked smile. However, the place was so packed that Bonnie began to think she'd better rely on her magic to find the other woman instead of her sight.

Someone brushed passed Bonnie, making her stumble, and their fingers brushed each other; the touch seemed to burn Bonnie's skin and charge her hair with electricity. Her eyes flew up to meet the other woman's face and instinctually knew that this was the talked about Faye Chamberlain. The wicked grin was in place, along with her crazy dark curls and golden eyes, but, surprisingly, she didn't look a day over nineteen.

Bonnie took a chance and confidently stated, "What kind of dark magic do you use to continue to look so young? I heard you were nearing fifty."

The smile Faye gave her was pure poison. "A lady never reveals her age." Faye's golden eyes locked onto Bonnie's and a chill ran down the younger witch's spine at the malice in them. "You must be Bonnie Bennett."

"And you're Faye Chamberlain." Bonnie said flatly, "So, let's move past the pleasantries and get straight to the part where you get the _hell_ out of my town."

A sultry smile crawled onto Faye's lips. "Oh, you've got it all wrong, little Bennett. This is the part where you inconveniently disappear on your friends, making it neigh impossible for them to win their little Mexican standoff tonight."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes, but Faye had already murmured something in unfamiliar in Latin. The world tilted alarmingly on its axis and the last thing Bonnie saw was Faye stepping forwards to steady her as she fell into the darkness' cold embrace.

* * *

Stephanie had wandered from Klaus' side and warm hand and stood at the back of the crowd that was watching the band. It was loud and particularly good music, but she reminded herself it would be over as soon as Mikael was dead.

A familiar dark head bobbed over and after a student moved out of the way, it was revealed to be Tyler. He made his way over to Stephanie and opened his mouth to speak, "What's up? I heard about the thing with Lexi yesterday. You okay?"

"Everything's fine," Stephanie gave him a flattering smile and lied, "Lexi's methods are neigh useless these days. This is a nice party you've got going on here."

"Thanks, but it was mostly Rebekah, you know?" Tyler told her and then lowered his voice, "You know all about tonight, right?"

"Of course," Stephanie murmured quietly and felt a flash of anticipation crawl of her spine at the mere thought; she, Klaus, and Rebekah could leave Mystic Falls and not worry about "concerned" family or Mikael breathing down their necks.

Tyler nodded his head with not a clue as to the thoughts racing through Stephanie's head. She lifted a glass of something vaguely alcoholic off of a passing tray and downed it.

"It should go off without a hitch," Tyler added confidently, to which Stephanie hoped was the truth. The pounding music slowed and stopped, and someone else claimed the microphone.

"Good evening, everyone," Klaus' accented voice rolled over the hubbub and the crowd cheered madly at the sight of him. "Thank you all for being here with me to celebrate! It's been a long time coming," Here, Klaus' eyes met Stephanie's and he winked. He let the microphone go back to the lead singer and the band started up again. Klaus weaved his way towards Steph and Tyler, and they walked together through the crowd.

Stephanie remarked, "Rebekah outdid herself with this."

"Well, we have been planning our father's funeral for a thousand years," Klaus smirked, "Granted, we didn't imagine all of these people would be invited, but you get the idea. Rebekah knew what she was doing when she called him." He inclined his head over to Tyler, who preened.

"How long do you think until Mikael shows up?" Stephanie wondered aloud as her hand met with Klaus' half way.

"Hopefully soon," Klaus murmured, "Do let me have a moment with Tyler, would you, love? I need to speak with him." He lifted her hand and kissed the top of it with a teasing smile.

Stephanie arched her brows but reclaimed her hand and strode away from the two hybrids, passing a couple more of the newly turned ones in the crowd as she went.

"Stephanie!" Steph's green eyes flicked to the side to see Caroline flagging her down. "Steph!" The older vampire hesitated before she decided to make her way over to the blonde.

"What do you want, Caroline?" Stephanie asked flatly, but her previous friend did not deflate. If anything, she only got closer with a wide grin on her face.

"Well, actually –" As Caroline spoke, something stuck Stephanie in the thigh. The vampire looked down, surprised to see a shot of vervain emptying out its contents into her bloodstream. Furious at her own negligence and shortsightedness, Stephanie attempted to thwart Caroline, but the vervain made her sluggish enough for her to stagger almost drunkenly. Caroline darted forwards and snapped Steph's neck, quick as could be.

Stephanie tumbled to the floor and Caroline swept her up and led her friend across the room to a doorway, making excuses and pretending Stephanie was merely drunk as opposed to temporarily dead. Caroline sighed a little sadly before sitting her onto the antique couch in the late Mayor Lockwood's office. Once that was done, Caroline stepped back sat on the chair across from her in wait.

* * *

Klaus put a hand on Tyler's shoulder and chuckled with him as the teenager remarked about his mother being furious about the party and the horrible mess that would be left over from the night of festivities.

"Oh, don't worry about her;" Klaus said charmingly, "I've compelled your mum to stay in the church all night long, praying for your dear friends."

The camaraderie they were sharing instantly evaporated. "What?" Tyler asked, almost too stunned for words.

Klaus only smirked. "I want you to look around," He waved a hand extravagantly, "Bonnie has been taken care of by my friend Faye," He pointed at Elena and Matt across the courtyard, "There's Elena and Matt talking nicely. Your pretty little girlfriend, Caroline, is around here somewhere entertaining my fierce little girlfriend, I'm sure." Klaus tilted his head and looked at Tyler intensely.

"The big dance was wrecked and you came through with a party at Rebekah's request. You're a pal." Here, Klaus furrowed his brows as if he was confused. "But who are all these other people here?"

Tyler frowned. "I . . . have no idea." He took an extra look around, as if he had just missed them. "I've never seen half of these people here in my life."

A devilish smile slid onto Klaus' face. "Well, that's because I invited a few dozen of friends of my own." He gestured towards a small group, the woman in particular. "That's my friend Mindy; I picked her up on my way through Kansas. Did you know there's an entire bloodline of werewolves in the heartland?"

Tyler's brows furrowed further and his hands buried deeper into his pocket at the uncomfortable realization that something wasn't quite right. He was suddenly hot under his collar.

"There is a friend from North Dakota and we certainly can't forget the contingent from Seattle," Klaus waved a hand at a few more people, all over which were stern faced and as stiff baked as a soldier.

"Are those people . . . all hybrids?" Tyler asked as slow realization began to dawn on him. His hands fluttered nervously at his sides.

"Indeed," Klaus confirmed, "And they, like you, are all sired to me. They wish to serve me and protect those I hold dear." He drew close to Tyler, his expression grave and menacing. "If someone were to move against me, they may feel obligated to terminate." Klaus took a step back and the bright smile made its return to his face, "You're free to warn your friends, of course." The hybrid disappeared into the crowd, and immediately Tyler went in search of Caroline.

He found her in his father's study.

Tyler shut and locked the door behind him and stalked towards his girlfriend. "Whatever you're planning with Klaus tonight, you need to stop it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Caroline denied quickly.

"I mean it," Tyler snapped, "Whatever you and Elena and Damon and Jeremy and whoever else are planning has to stop. Klaus is on to you; two steps ahead, actually."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but even if I did-"

"What is Stephanie doing on the couch?" Tyler interrupted her, finally finding Steph sprawled on the antique couch, her head at an awkward angle.

Caroline accused, "Look, you're on Team Klaus now, and can't be trusted-" Tyler interrupted her by flashing to Caroline's side and injecting her with a shot of vervain. He turned away from her wide, betrayed blue eyes as she sank to the ground in his arms. Tyler quickly swapped Caroline's body for Steph's, putting his girlfriend on the couch and shaking awake Stephanie. The older vampire blinked slowly, dazed as awareness slowly came back.

The door burst open then, shocking Tyler into looking up; Jeremy and Alaric were standing the doorway, holding onto both vervain and wolfs bane grenades and had fierce expressions.

"You're not going anywhere, buddy," Alaric said almost apologetically and Jeremy launched one of the grenades at the hybrid, where it exploded and sent Tyler sailing backwards into a book shelf. It tumbled down on top of him, burying Tyler in books, artifacts, and a hundred pound shelf.

* * *

Klaus and Rebekah congregated towards each other eventually and found Elena shortly afterwards.

"Hello, Miss Gilbert. Where's your brother and Damon this evening?" Klaus drawled casually. He never let his eyes wander from Elena's face, even as his mind was far from this room.

"Damon's getting me a drink," Elena replied vaguely, "Jeremy saw an old friend." Her face was as still as a marble statue, except for her eyes, which were glaring daggers at the pair of Originals.

"How lovely," Rebekah faked a smile and watched Elena shift nervously on her feet. "What's the matter, Elena?"

"You seem a little nervous," Klaus drawled, picking up on Rebekah's same thought.

"I'm not nervous, I just don't like either of you," Elena said tightly.

"Well, I think I should just get to the point then," Klaus lowered his voice and took a menacing step towards her. "People have been after me and Rebekah since our birth into vampires and do you want to know something?" He leant forwards and breathed into her face, "I am _always_ a step ahead of them. And if you're thinking of trying . . . go for it. Give it your _best_ shot. You won't succeed."

Elena turned around quickly and shakily, walking away from the siblings. She took out her phone and quickly texted Damon, resisting the urge to nervously look behind her.

_I haven't been able to dagger Rebekah. Klaus was with her. Where are you?_

It was only a second before he replied.

 _Here at the party. Jeremy and Alaric found Tyler, Caroline, and Steph. Lexi and Mikael are just outside waiting because neither have been invited in. I have_ the _stake._

The blood drained of Elena's face in realization.

_Where's Bonnie? Matt? I was talking to him earlier but he disappeared . . . something about a date?_

The response was slower. _I don't know. Haven't seen either of them and Caroline was vervained by Tyler and so she can't tell us what happened._

Though worried, Elena was also curious. _Why don't you call me?_

_The whole place is crawling with Klaus' hybrids, so it's not safe._

Elena bit her nail. _Where's Faye? Do you think she did something to Bonnie?_

Damon was quick to reply this time. _Don't know, but I'll tell you if I see either of them or Matt. I'm on my way over to you; Tyler's been subdued. I'll see if I can help with Rebekah when I get there._

Elena nodded to herself and sent a quick 'OK' and left to wait for the next part of the plan that seemed to falling around their ears.

Damon texted her one more time. _Oh, and I may have added one more person to the plan. Katherine expressed a desire to help kill the man that had hunted her for so many years. Who was I to deny her?_

Elena swallowed back her burning dislike of the vampire. _Is she here?_

Damon's text was almost as smug as his voice could get. _Waiting in the wings with Mikael. She was a little testy at that, but Mikael has no clue that it's her. So I'd stay away from Papa Original, if I were you. Hold him in suspense._

.

.

.

"What's she doing?" Rebekah murmured to Klaus as they watched Elena stride away from them with her phone in hand.

"Helping to execute the details of their own plan, I imagine," Klaus murmured. "However, I would like to know where it is that Stephanie has gone off to."

Rebekah assuaged her brother's worries even as she pushed back her own, "They wouldn't have hurt her too badly, so there's no reason to be anxious. We'll find her when this is over and we'll get far away from here."

Klaus grumbled, but one of his hybrid's, Mindy, interrupted his sulk. "There's someone here to see you," She said serenely. Rebekah curled her lip, disgusted at the sire bond and the young hybrid that was subjected to it.

"Tell my visitor I'm on the brink of victory here," Klaus drawled, but there was a distinct tremor in his voice that only Rebekah could hear.

"He says his name is Mikael," Mindy further explained and both Rebekah and Klaus stilled. Though that had been what they'd been waiting for, it was nerve wracking to think about their plan's implementation and results that was now close enough to touch.

"Then we mustn't keep him waiting, then, should we?" Rebekah asked archly. "Come on, Nik. We've a chat to have with our father." She took his wrist as he commanded Mindy to get all of the guests away from the front entrance of the Lockwood's home. Rebekah and Klaus walked together, pausing only to let one of the other hybrids, Tony, know that part of the plan was starting. Faye seemed to materialize next to them, striding along at their pace.

"Bonnie's down, like you know, but so is Tyler; Jeremy Gilbert and the History teacher bombarded him with wolfsbane grenades. The Forbes girl is subdued with vervain because of Tyler, but the one called Matt Donovan met up with my little bird." Here, Faye gave them a sidelong glance. "She and Matt got Caroline out while the teacher and the Gilbert boy keep an eye on Stephanie."

"Caroline's not a big issue, so we don't need to worry about her or Matt," Klaus dismissed them, "Stephanie should be safe with the teacher and the Gilbert boy; they won't hurt her. Your helper should know what side she's on though, in the future." He eyed her. "I won't be crossed because of your spell mishap."

Faye said nothing, especially not to mention it hadn't been a mistake, but gave off an air of indifference; she was unafraid of Klaus and was friends with Rebekah, so she felt a distinct sense of security.

"Keep out of sight," Klaus continued, "I don't want our father to see you. You may not need to interfere at all."

Rebekah slowed. "Damon and Elena." She halted her brother's progression to the door. "What about Damon and Elena?"

"We can handle them if and when they come," Klaus dismissed, though his fists clenched in repressed anger. "Everything will be fine." Faye melted into the crowd, disappearing and Rebekah and Klaus met their father face to face at the front door.

"Hello Mikael," Rebekah was the first to speak.

Klaus managed to get his wits back to him. "Why don't you come inside? Oh, that's right; I forgot that you're not invited in."

"You could come outside if you want," Mikael told Klaus, "My feud is with you, not Rebekah."

"Your feud is with me too, Father," Rebekah spat, "You shan't kill Nik or me. Not tonight."

"And neither of us is going to step outside the house," Klaus smoothly told Mikael, "Not when my hybrids can simply tear you limb from limb." Numerous hybrids stepped out of the woodwork then, surrounding Mikael on the outside.

"They can't kill me," Mikael was amused.

"No, but you can think of it as a party game," Klaus smirked. "All I have to do is rub these too fingers together and they'll pounce." He raised his left hand in demonstration.

Mikael's smile only grew. "The Big Bad Wolf. You haven't changed; still hiding behind your playthings, like a coward." Klaus' smirk melted away and his arm slowly made its descent down back to his side. Mikael continued, "And you forget, they made be sired by you, but they are part vampire, which means they can be compelled by me."

Mindy suddenly appeared with Elena, who was tightly secured by the arm.

"Where's your date?" Rebekah spat at the girl, her lip curling in disdain for the mortal girl.

"His neck's been snapped, so he'll stay out of our way for a while yet," Mikael explained aloofly, "Come out and face me, Niklaus or she dies."

Rebekah's face tightened. "No one here cares about the doppelgänger bitch, Mikael."

"I think Niklaus cares," Mikael taunted.

"No," Klaus said lowly, "Go ahead and kill her."

Elena's pulse raced and she turned her large eyes upon the hybrid. "No, Klaus, he'll do it."

"If she dies, this lot will be the last of your abominations!" Mikael growled.

"I don't need them," Klaus snarled, "Rebekah and I just need to be rid of _you_."

"It won't end," Mikael informed him, "Niklaus. So you can live forever with no one else besides your sister? And even then, how long until she realizes that you're not worth it and leaves? _No one cares about you anymore, boy."_

"I would never leave him," Rebekah hissed, "He's my brother."

"Finn and Elijah and Kol are his brothers and he still daggered them," Mikael shot back, "Family means _nothing_ to Niklaus. He's the one who killed your mother. Not I."

" _You're lying!"_ Rebekah roared.

"Tell her, Niklaus, how you killed your own mother in a fit of rage," Mikael spat, "Who do you have other than whose loyalty you've forced? Your mother is dead because of you, your brothers are locked away and your only sister has been told the truth. Your little girlfriend? She doesn't even love you unless you've compelled her to be as bloodthirsty as you are. The answer to my question? No one really cares about you. _No one."_

"Nik didn't kill Mother," Rebekah said quietly, at the same time Klaus said,

"I'm calling your bluff, _Father._ Kill Elena."

"Come outside and face me, you little coward," Mikael said calmly, "and I won't hurt her."

"My whole life you've underestimated me," Klaus snapped, "If you kill her, you lose your leverage. So, go on, kill her. Come on, Old Man, kill her! _KILL HER_!"

Mikael only chuckled in the face of Klaus' silent tears and Rebekah's curled lip. "You're impulsive, Niklaus. It forever will be the one thing that keeps you from being truly great." Without further ado, he took out a serrated dagger and pierced Elena through the back with it, making her scream and fall to the ground, her body spasming in pain.

At the same time, a dark flash careened through the foyer and jumped Klaus with an ornate wooden stake, while another dark headed girl slipped behind Rebekah and stabbed her in the back with a dagger that had been dipped in white oak ash. The blonde Original crumpled to the floor, surprise being her last visible facial expression

Klaus roared as he wrestled with Damon Salvatore, and a very alive Elena Gilbert stepped over his sister's body. Just outside the door, there was a deep squelching sound of a knife being pulled from a body and Katherine Pierce jumped up with wolfsbane grenades, which she launched at the hybrids in the lawn. All of the hybrids screamed as they dropped to the ground in pain, hand clutching their faces. Lexi Branson appeared from out of the woodwork and ripped the hybrids' hearts from their chest cavities, killing them for good.

The tip of the stake went into Klaus' chest and the hybrid roared, spitting obscenities into Damon's smug face. Just as the wood brushed his heart, someone threw themselves at Damon's back, ripping him and the stake off of Klaus.

Klaus scrambled up, chest heaving and his eyes zeroed in on Stephanie holding Damon down to the ground, while Faye came out of her hiding spot, hands risen and lips moving quickly as she called out a spell. Elena, Lexi, and Katherine were all dropped to the ground, but Klaus paid little attention to that; he snatched up the fallen white oak stake and leapt through the barrier, sinking the wood into his father's heart.

Mikael's eyes widened as he burst into flames, and his jaw fell open to emit a piercing scream. Mikael met Klaus' eyes, judging his pseudo son even in his death. Klaus didn't take his eyes off of him until Mikael was only a pile of ashes and the stake was left sitting atop them.

Klaus turned behind him to see Faye releasing Rebekah from the dagger's sleep, and Katherine sprinting away from the scene given Faye's distraction. Damon was still on the floor, but he was glaring up at his little sister, where she stood, hovering over him. Elena stood barely three feet from them, but she made no move to get closer. Lexi hovered at the door, still uninvited inside the house.

"Why?" Damon growled angrily.

"I had to," Steph said unevenly, but she seemed off balance and unsure of her answer.

"Jeremy?" Elena finally gasped out, "Rick?"

"Both had their rings on before I snapped their necks," Stephanie replied flatly and she tried to recover herself.

"Since that's been clarified," Klaus interrupted, "Steph? Rebekah?" Still feeling off balance himself, the hybrid wanted out and away from the Lockwood house as soon as he possibly could. Rebekah sniffed and flashed away without either one of them, while Faye had discreetly disappeared with the dagger in hand.

Steph clasped Klaus' wrist and tugged him away, and they ran together using their vampire speed. Behind them, Damon went in search of the rest of their friends to regroup, while Lexi and Elena sat together quietly.

* * *

Caroline woke up in her own bed.

She jumped up and scrambled around, confused and angry. She huffed a sigh and then Tyler walked into the bedroom.

"Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" She shot back and fiddled with her phone, texting Elena and Bonnie both.

"I'm sorry I stabbed you," Tyler told her, "It was the only thing I could think of to get you out of there. Matt and his friend Anna brought you home."

"'It was the only thing you could think of to get me out of there,'" Caroline repeated, "Oh yeah? Not, 'Oh, hey Caroline, I'm worried about what's happening this evening, maybe you should go home and watch _Dancing With The Stars._ "

"You wouldn't have done it," Tyler replied.

"No, I wouldn't have, because my friends needed me," Caroline snapped.

"So, there you go. I saved you from your own stubbornness," Tyler moved over to the bed, gesturing with his hands.

"This isn't funny!" Caroline shouted, "How am I supposed to be with you when you're sired to _him?_ "

"Caroline," Tyler said quietly, "I need you to understand." He moved to sit next to her on the bed.

"Understand what? That you're one of the bad guys now?" Caroline asked plaintively.

"That this is who I am now," Tyler explained. "There's nothing we can do about it. Klaus can't be killed, I can't be fixed, understand that I'm okay with it."

"But how can you be okay with it?" Caroline asked, terribly confused.

"Because it's better," Tyler smiled a little. "I don't have to turn, Caroline. Not unless I want to. I _never_ have to feel that pain again. If being sired to Klaus is the price I have to pay, so be it."

"But you don't have any true control over yourself . . ." Caroline said quietly.

"But I never did before, either," Tyler said, "The full moon controlled me. After everything we've been through, you've been there with me through all of it. Don't turn your back on me now."

Caroline wordlessly shook her head. "Tyler . . . "

"Right."

"I . . . just . . ." Caroline trailed off.

"I got it," Tyler snapped and he stormed away in a whirl of anger. Caroline was left in her bedroom, alone, with more questions than answers, and a heart brimming with sadness.

* * *

"How did this happen?" Elena ran another hand through her hair as she paced in the Boarding House's living room. Damon was fixing himself a strong glass of bourbon, while Lexi sat next to Jeremy on the couch. Alaric was at his home for the night, along with Bonnie, who had not wanted anything to do with anyone for the rest of the night and possible next few days.

"We thought of everything, Elena!" Damon shouted, "Klaus having hybrids, Mikael turning on us, I brought in Katherine to keep you from being in danger, Lexi was there to kill the hybrid minions, Bonnie to counter Faye, anything that could have gone wrong, and we were prepared!" He down his glass and immediately filled it.

"I don't understand what happened," Elena repeated.

"We blew our only chance of killing him," Jeremy almost moaned and he put his face into his hands. Lexi sighed and murmured her wish for a cigarette.

"Where did Katherine go?" Elena asked.

"She ran for the hills, like she always does," Damon snapped angrily, "whenever things get bad! And who blames her? Klaus would have crushed her! I had Klaus, Elena! I had him! _IT ALL WOULD HAVE BEEN OVER_!" He threw the bottle of bourbon into the fire, where there was a small explosion.

Elena went to his side, while Jeremy straightened up and Lexi took her feet. "Damon . . ." Lexi trailed off.

"Hey," Elena said quietly and she stepped up to Damon, putting her hands around his face, cradling it, "We will survive this. We always survive. Trust me."

"We're never getting Stephanie back, you know that, right?" Damon brought one of his hands to cover hers on his cheek.

But it was not Elena who responded. "Then . . . then we'll have to let her go. For now."

Damon and Elena turned their heads to see Jeremy fighting back his own strong emotions. "We'll have to let her go," He repeated. "Until we finally figure out how to kill Klaus or he gets bored or we figure out how to break the compulsion besides killing him. Okay?"

Damon and Elena nodded, but Lexi only clenched her fists and looked away. Damon's phone ringing broke the silence.

"I'm not in the mood for the play by play of our failure, Katherine," Damon snapped as soon as he saw who it was on the other end of the line.

"I'm only calling to tell you that I'm on my way out of town." She gave a delicate sigh. "And that you had a good plan, which is high praise coming from me."

"You going into hiding?" Damon asked and ignored the several pairs of eyes on him.

"At least my life isn't boring."

"Take care of yourself, Katherine." He hung up the phone and the Boarding House lapsed into silence once more.

* * *

Steph and Klaus arrived at the warehouse that had been the starting point of their "adventure", if one could call it that, all those months ago at the start of the summer. Rebekah was already there, sitting atop one of the coffins and drinking a bottle of some alcoholic mix.

"Rebekah dear, do refrain from drinking moonshine in my presence ever again," Klaus drawled as he fiddled with his cufflinks. Stephanie arched a brow.

"It's not moonshine, you twat," Rebekah sniffed and took another sip. She said nothing more on the matter, and asked, "Well? Are we going to wake up the rest of them or were you lying about that?"

Klaus stiffened. "Whatever do you mean?"

Rebekah snorted. "Never mind, Nik. Let's wake up Elijah first; he's most likely to be the most rational and the least likely to try and rip your heart out." She hopped off of the coffin and slid the top up. "Shall I?"

Klaus waved a hand indulgently and Rebekah slid the dagger gently from Elijah's chest. Klaus leant down a little and murmured to Stephanie, "We should have gotten someone to eat first, love. You seem a little dry."

"I was pumped full of vervain; of course I'm a little dry," Stephanie murmured just as quietly, sending Klaus a look that was not amused at all.

"We'll remedy that as soon as this is squared away," He whispered in her ear, "We can go to the next town over and have a regular old massacre."

Steph arched a brow. "Sounds fun."

"Quiet, love birds," Rebekah commanded as Elijah flashed up and was on the opposite end of the room in a matter of milliseconds. His usual impeccable appearance was skewed, including his normally coiffed hair. His eyes were round and slightly wild as they darted around the room before settling on Klaus.

"Brother," Klaus greeted with a sly grin, "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"Niklaus," Elijah greeted stiffly and he straightened up. "Whatever caused this new advancement? You locked me away inside a coffin for quite a while, I imagine, if Miss Salvatore is your right hand woman again. Must have taken an innumerable amount of time. Years?"

Part of Stephanie marveled at Elijah's faith in her strength.

"Not that long at all, brother. It's November of 2011," Klaus revealed.

One of his brows arched. "Truly," He stated flatly. "What has happened that you have decided to release me from my slumber?" Elijah was almost sarcastic that time, but it was hard to tell underneath his deadpan voice.

"Mikael is dead."

Elijah stilled and the silence swelled in the warehouse. "How?" He finally asked.

"Faye Chamberlain and some hybrids helped us out," Rebekah explained. "In any case, Mikael is dead and we are now safe from further harm at his hand. We thought it was about time to reunite our family."

Stephanie licked her cracked lips and anticipated Elijah's reaction.

"Finn and Kol will not be so easily placated," Elijah said finally and dusted off his suit. "They will want revenge and you will want to dagger them again; ultimately we will have come a full circle."

"My, my, are you trying to keep them asleep?" Klaus drawled, genuinely amused, Stephanie could see.

"I am only telling you the truth," Elijah said aloofly. "At this point, even I am not quite sure I want to forgive you." His eyes wandered the room before settling back on his siblings.

"Well, seeing as you haven't tried anything yet, can I assured you'll not try anything when I'm sleeping?" Klaus asked sardonically. "I would like to rouse Finn next. He's fairly level headed."

"Be my guest."

.

.

.

Finn took nearly thirty minutes to rise because of his nine century long slumber; the longer the dagger is in place, the longer it takes for the victim to rouse themselves. When he did, his face was an emotionless mask as the details of the immediate familiar events were relayed to him. Finn kept his distance from Klaus, clearly (and understandably) angry. Elijah was able to sooth some of the ruffled feathers (for the moment, at least).

When he was mostly caught up, Finn's eyes wandered over his younger siblings and the slight vampire that stood between them.

"I thought that this event was a familiar matter?" He inquired aloofly. "Klaus' harlots should hardly be privy to such intimate matters."

Klaus was clearly irritated, but Stephanie smiled only smiled acerbically. "I thought you were supposed to be level headed and serene. Like a Hufflepuff. Guess I was wrong and you're just a misogynist dick. My mistake."

Rebekah's lips twitched and Klaus relaxed, though Finn sniffed haughtily. Thankfully, he said no more and turned to look at Elijah expectantly. The oldest sibling stepped forward this time and took the dagger from the last Original's chest, and pocketed it into his suit jacket. Stephanie's eyes tracked the movement carefully; Elijah might be the moral one, but even he had a vengeful streak.

The wait for Kol's rise was much shorter than Finn's, though longer than Elijah's (understandably, as this Original had been down for a century, apparently). The young man's eyes popped open and in a matter of seconds, he was darting upwards and reaching for Klaus' neck.

"You daggered me!" He howled angrily, furious. "You horrible, nasty, twat! You just wait! I'll slit your throat while you're sleeping! I'll put arsenic in your morning tea!"

Elijah snatched Kol out of the air and let the younger vampire swing his arms and angrily splutter for a several moments while the rest watched on with mild amusement. Finally, Kol stopped and crossed his arms, angrily pouting.

"You think I am playing jokes," Kol muttered darkly and then his dark eyes darted to Elijah's face. "You can release me now, brother."

"Not until you swear to not attempt any revenge plots. You may leave Mystic Falls if you wish to, of course, if that is what it takes to keep yourself under control." Elijah arched a brow to show his belief in his baby brother's self-control. Kol sniffed, but with numerous more platitudes, was persuaded into a small treaty of peace. For the moment, anyway.

Stephanie observed Kol for a moment, tilting her head. He was very familiar . . .

"I know you," Kol said suddenly and all eyes were on Steph. "Your brother is a good tavern brawler. Was. Is? I could still drink him under the table."

"The bar in New Orleans. 1912." Stephanie remembered.

"Care to share with the class?" Klaus asked, a little miffed.

"Why? Jealous?" Kol shot back.

"No," Klaus glowered, but Elijah intervened. Stephanie wondered if their family could become any more like a soap opera or a sitcom.

Well, if such dramas included bloodbaths and nightmares.

"Well, I'm hungry," Kol announced. "Who wants a snack?" Without waiting for someone to direct him, he vanished. Elijah frowned.

"He's going to expose himself," Rebekah rolled her eyes, and the others reluctantly agreed. Finn pursed his lips, clearly curious about the outside world after its changes over nine centuries worth of time.

"We'll need to find him before he gets a chance to do so," Elijah sighed.

"Well, it's been fun, but I think I'll leave you all to find our wayward brother," Klaus announced to the displeasure of the rest of his siblings. "Ta." He shared a grin with Stephanie and the corners of her mouth twitched. They darted away together and if the others responded, it was lost in the wind.

.

.

.

Stephanie and Klaus moved two towns over before stopping to find a place to hunt; they settled for a small town bar where Steph lured away a group of young men with flirtatious smiles and the sway of her hips. They followed her like dogs spotting a bone and she flitted into a neighboring alley where Klaus lie in wait.

"Hey sweetheart! Where'd you go?" One of the men hollered.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to reserve the right for pet names for the lady," Klaus drawled as he appeared just behind the large man who'd spoken, spooking him and his friends.

Steph darted out from the shadows and looked one of the men in the eyes. " _Run_. Scream, if you'd like," Her eyes were alight with excitement, "Actually, that's preferable." The man wasted no time, scrambling backwards while Stephanie gave him a head start. He screamed, horrified, and kept screaming even as Steph caught up to him and attached her extended fangs to his jugular.

The warm blood slid down her throat and it invigorated her; she ripped down further and clung tighter her prey before his head was torn straight off. She let his body drop noisily as she stepped away, licking her lips clean of the blood. Fangs still extended, Stephanie darted over to where Klaus was draining his second meal, and latched on to the other side of the man's neck.

The human gurgled and struggled, but together, they subdued him quickly.

All at once, the man was drained and his body was just another empty husk lying on the ground. Klaus and Stephanie locked eyes and then they were surging towards each other in the heady high of fresh blood; the hybrid and the vampire's lips met halfway, teeth gnashing and hands tugging on hair as they made their way stumbling backwards until Klaus' back was up against a wall.

"I'm so in love with you," Klaus murmured into her ear huskily.

A sultry smile lit up Steph's face. "I know you are."

Klaus buried his face into the crook of Stephanie's neck, his golden eyes flashing and fangs descending. "Tell me what you feel for me."

"I love you," Stephanie breathed and Klaus smiled before he bit into her neck. Stephanie let her eyes slide closed as their minds melded into one consciousness. As he let go, she found a tender spot in the junction between Klaus' neck and shoulder and gently slid her teeth into the skin. His blood flooded into her mouth.

"I love you," Stephanie repeated.

_I_

 

 

_Love_

 

 

_You_

_._

_._

_._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: terrible sorry for the long wait, once more. Hopefully the next chapter will be out much, much sooner.
> 
> Also, comments would be lovely too if you have the time and inclination ;D


	8. somewhere a clock is ticking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So this is it. I sold my soul for this?  
> Washed my hands of that for this?  
> I miss my mom and dad for this?
> 
> Come on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for the wait but I've been in a bit of a writing rut and I'd rather give you guys a later chapter than a crappy one.
> 
> Also, sorry that this is shorter than usual.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes borrowed/modified.

Damon Salvatore laid flat on his back, icy blue eyes staring up at the high, pattern-less ceiling of his bedroom. There was no noise but the nightlife and the quiet breathing of the Boarding House's other occupants, but even that was nearly soundless. Next to Damon, curled up on her side with her hands pillowing her face, was Elena. Her eyes darted behind their lids at a steady pace; she was dreaming. Whether it was a pleasant dream or not was debatable. As if subconsciously knowing he was thinking about her, Elena sighed deeply and moved her body a little closer to his.

Damon blinked slowly.

Across the hall in the one of the guest bedrooms that had slowly become Jeremy's spare, Elena's younger brother slept peacefully for the first time in a long while. Why was that, Damon wondered. Perhaps he'd succumbed to the idea that they were never getting Stephanie back, just like he'd suggested two nights ago. Maybe he was just tired. Tired of love and all of the pain and nastiness it brought with it. Damon could understand. Relate, even.

In the bedroom next to Stephanie's was Lexi, who had become a near permanent fixture in the Salvatore Boarding House. She got up in the morning, listened to music, made coffee, and hung around the house or went to the Grill. She wanted to help. She wanted to make a difference. She wanted to do  _something_ in the face of the turmoil their lives were in right then. She might have been the only one of their little Scooby Gang that hadn't given up all hope. Damon outwardly scoffed and belittled her for it, but secretly was almost glad. Almost grateful.

Damon sat up slowly and slid out of his bed, standing quietly. He glanced again at Elena, who had shrunk in on herself and the covers, but was still asleep. Satisfied, Damon ghosted from his bedroom and went down the stairs and to the kitchen. He found a tumbler and poured himself a glass a Scotch, deviating from his usual choice of Bourbon.

It was still dark outside, but the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, bright tendrils snaking around the trees. Savagely, he thought the sun was much too cheerful. He looked down at his now empty tumbler and discarded it; he took the entire bottle of Scotch and stepped outside in the sharp morning air. The grass was dewy and the wood of the porch was spongy against his bare feet.

Damon's left big toe brushed against something dry and he ducked down, finding a large manila envelope with fancy script adorning the outside. Arching one of his eyebrows, Damon used deft fingers to pluck it up and break the seal.

**YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE MIKAELSONS' BALL**

**AT SIX PM**

**FRIDAY EVENING**

The invitation went on to list the address and brief directions.

"Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?" Damon asked, baffled. He glared at the small piece of stock paper.

"Damon . . . ?" The vampire turned his head backwards and saw Elena hesitating on the threshold, still in her night clothes. She shifted from foot to foot, obviously chilly in the morning air.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked curiously and she couldn't stave off a face splitting yawn.

"We got invited to a thing," Damon said vaguely and waved the invitation with his right hand.

"Wait," Elena commanded, "What's that on the back?" Her eyes were glued to a point on the back of the stock paper. Curious at what he'd evidently missed, Damon turned the invitation over and saw something that was more or less chicken scratch; it was the handwriting of someone who hadn't held a pencil in a very long time, if ever.

**I would appreciate a private audience with**

**Mister Damon Salvatore and co.**

**During the ball to discuss a temporary**

**Alliance to subdue a mutual aggravation**

**FINN MIKAELSON,**

**Brother to Elijah, Niklaus, Rebekah, and Kol Mikaelson**

Damon and Elena stared at each other, slack jawed.

"What would an Original want?" Elena finally asked, lips pursed, "And since when are the others . . . around? I thought they were daggered or dead."

"Whatever this Finn wants, we're not giving it to him," Damon said firmly, "I don't care what it is; we're not helping any of  _them_."

"What if it helps Steph?" Elena wondered.

"I thought we were letting her go," Damon snapped fiercely, hackles raised. "She doesn't want to be saved. Good for her. Let her lead herself to ruin with Klaus and Rebekah and the rest of those Original dicks."

"What if it gets rid of the Originals from Mystic Falls?" Elena countered, "Finn is clearly interested in peace."

"Or," Damon suggested, "He's clearly interested in getting the doppelgänger."

"If he wanted me, don't you think he would have addressed it ELENA GILBERT instead of DAMON SALVATORE AND CO.?" Elena crossed her arms. "Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"No," Damon said flatly, "We're not going. End of story." He brushed passed Elena, crumpling up the invitation and tossing it onto the porch in an angry huff. Elena waited until she heard his steps flashing up the steps before she quickly snatched up the balled up piece of paper and stuffed it into her bra.

Whether Damon wanted to risk it or not, Elena was going to find out just what it was that Finn Mikaelson wanted from them. And she knew just who to ask to help her.

* * *

Klaus isn't a stupid man; he's been around for a thousand years, so he's been able to pick up some tricks in stealth. And he's charming enough to get out of most things without even attempting compulsion, though he does enjoy stretching his Power more often than not.

So, being an intelligent being, that first night he and Stephanie are away from Mystic Falls, he calls on a few of his witch friends that are only loyal to him as soon as Stephanie goes to sleep. They'd spent the entire night enjoying themselves and so she'd only dropped off come sunrise.

Before Klaus can even think of lying next to her, he picks up his phone and arranges for the last coffin to be taken care of and shipped off, eventually to be even more heavily spelled shut.

He'd yet to figure out how to destroy it, so keeping it far away and under lock and key would have to suffice until he did.

For the next two days, he and Stephanie stayed clear out of Mystic Falls while his siblings acclimated to the present and arranged their rooms in the mansion to what they desired. For a while, it was just he and his Ripper, leveling towns in Virginia and Georgia, playing their games, and feeding the monsters that tore at their insides until released.

Eventually, though, Klaus knew that they needed to return to at least collect Rebekah. Then the three of them could be on their merry way, an unstoppable force once more. With wry amusement, the Hybrid even considered allowing his only creation left to tag along; being sired, the Lockwood brat might feel a pull to go with them.

Not that Klaus minded; he felt a certain amount of pride in his creation. Tyler was his first (and now only) successful hybrid. You never knew when his loyalty might come in handy.

Klaus turned his head in their bed and blinked slowly, watching Stephanie. She looked delicate when she slept, almost fragile. His lips turned up into a smile; he knew that really, inside this mild mannered looking girl, was his ferocious Ripper and that she was not to be underestimated.

"Stop staring." Her lips had barely moved, but Klaus' sensitive ears had picked up on the murmur.

"It's romantic, love; all the youth's novels say so," He breathed.

She didn't even touch the book thing. "It's creepy," Stephanie sighed sleepily, "and I'm not sure I want to know when you had the time to read  _Twilight._ Go back to sleep."

"Whatever you say, love," Klaus smirked but said nothing more; they could wait until the afternoon to get going. As Stephanie's breathing evened out again, Klaus felt his face pull down into a frown. Even if he and his ladies were to leave Mystic Falls for good again, there was no telling what stunts their resident Scooby Gang had up their sleeves to keep Steph with them. He dreaded the thought of them playing catch –up like they had during the summer; it put a damper on their festivities and made sure they moved quickly from place to place.

Yes, he'd have to do something to urge them away, for good this time, preferably. Klaus' hand deftly picked up his cell phone on the bedside table and immediately texted a friend.

Turns out Tyler's loyalty would be needed sooner rather than later.

* * *

Elena found and woke Lexi a few hours later; making sure Damon was out of the house and about with Alaric beforehand. She quickly explained her plan and was relieved to find that Lexi was on board.

"They obviously want something," Lexi was smiling, her every movement energized, "and it's in our best interests to find out what. But first," Here, she smirked mischievously, "we need to find something to wear."

"What are you guys doing?" Both women turned their heads to find a fully dressed Jeremy standing and staring at them with arched brows.

"Planning a girls' day," Lexi said smoothly with a convincingly enough look.

"Right," Jeremy drew at the word slowly, belying his disbelief. "I'm going out then. See you later." He turned before Elena could open her mouth to ask where he was going.

She shouted after him anyway. "Jeremy! Keep your phone on you!"

"Whatever!" He hollered back and they heard the slam of the front door. A car engine restarted outside and Lexi's tilted head indicated she could hear the sound of tires over gravel as it pulled away and drove back down the drive and towards the town.

"Who . . . ?" Jeremy wouldn't have driven on his own, so someone must have arrived to pick him up.

"Matt?" Lexi suggested.

Elena bit her lip, uncertain, even as Lexi moved back towards the topic of dresses for the Mikaelson Ball they would be attending that evening. "Maybe we should follow him."

Lexi sighed gustily.

"Elena," Her voice was firm, "I'm sure there's nothing-"

There was a sudden and loud sound of glass breaking and the whole house seemed to shudder on its foundations, making the girls' eyes widen and their hands fly out to keep their balance. A moment later, Damon was seen flashing down the stairs in a mad panic. Lexi and Elena exchanged concerned glances and rushed after him.

What they found downstairs was the epitome of horrifying.

The foyer was a mess of crumbling structure and shattered glass and wood. The door was gone, and instead there was a rough hole where it had stood. In the center of the foyer was a car with the airbags blown up in the driver's and passenger's faces; blood was visible on the window shield.

Damon was hunched over next to a figure just in front of the car and Elena quickly went to his side, while Lexi flew to the driver's side of the car, ripping open the door. Elena crouched next to Damon and she nearly choked at the revelation of who was lying there limp in their foyer: Alaric.

"Dead?" She barely felt herself ask.

"And he's not waking up," Damon confirmed.

"It just got worse," Lexi's grim voice called them over and she beckoned them closer. Elena peeked over her shoulder and gaped, horrified; Tyler Lockwood was knocked out in the front seat, and the passenger was her little brother, pale and unmoving.

"Jeremy!" Elena sobbed and then she was scrambling around to the other side, sliding on broken glass in her Chucks, and then using all of her strength to try and rip the door open. "Jeremy," She repeated, insistent, "Jeremy." She barely felt Damon's presence over her shoulder, even as he gently moved her and tore open the door and carefully retrieved Jeremy's body. "He's got the ring on," Damon reassured her quietly.

"So does Rick," Elena whispered savagely, "and you just said he's not getting up either!"

Damon opened his mouth to fire something acerbic back, but Jeremy surged back to life, rapidly blinking and flailing like a fish. He turned his head around, eyebrows shooting up as he took in his surroundings. His brown eyes searched the room and slowly took in Lexi over by Tyler, Damon and Elena with him, and Alaric's cold and unmoving body in front of the car.

"Tyler drove us into the house," Jeremy's voice was faint with disbelief, "on purpose. He was trying to kill me."

"Forgot about that nifty Gilbert ring," Damon said darkly, quirking his lips.

"Are you okay? Does anything still hurt?" Elena ran her hands over her brother, and Jeremy allowed it for a minute before pushing her off gently.

"I'm fine. Rick doesn't look good though," Jeremy pointed out and Damon flashed to his friend's side again.

"He's going to have to go to the hospital," Damon told them grimly after another moment. His eyes flashed up to the car in his foyer again and then they narrowed. "I'll have to tell Liz about the car. Good thing we have insurance."

"When does a vampire have time to get insurance?" Jeremy asked.

Damon opened his mouth, but Lexi interrupted, "Tyler's waking up."

Elena nearly tripped over her own feet in her hurry to reach them. Tyler's brown eyes fluttered open and he took in the angry people glowering at him.

"What the hell was that?" Elena hissed as Lexi grabbed Tyler's neck and squeezed.

"Klaus told me to," Tyler immediately said, eyes wide with the horror of his own actions, "I have to do what he tells me to!"

"Why did he do this?" Lexi snarled.

"He says he wants to make sure you don't cause any more trouble for him; he, Steph, and Rebekah will be leaving soon. He doesn't want any chances of you following him," Tyler revealed, licking his lips nervously. Lexi's hand slackened a little, and so Tyler used the opportunity to break away and flash far away from the Salvatore Boarding House.

Damon nearly snarled in his anger, but instead put his hand through one of the walls. He hefted up Rick and put him on his shoulder, not even pausing as he called, "I'm taking Alaric to the hospital. I'll call Liz as soon as I know he's not going to kill over on me."

Jeremy, Elena, and Lexi were left standing in the hallway alone with each other.

"All the more reason to go to the Ball tonight and find out what Finn Mikaelson wants," Lexi broke the silence.

"What Ball?" Jeremy asked, confused.

"We'll explain as we clean you up and find something presentable to wear," Lexi explained decisively, and then turned her gaze on Elena. "You  _do_ still want to go, right?"

Elena swallowed and looked down at her hands for a moment. The other two saw that there was clearly something battling within her, but they waited patiently until she came to a sort of conclusion. Then she nodded once.

"Let's get ready, then." Lexi tried a smile, but couldn't force it. Elena was still distracted, Jeremy was still bloody, and there was still a car in the front hallway.

* * *

"Is everything ready then?" Rebekah is a dictator, Kol thought to himself, an evil, self-absorbed dictator who planned on taking over the world via elaborate parties and fashion.

It was a good thing that he rather liked both.

"Yes, sister, you lackeys have followed your every demand; they've crossed their T's and dotted their I's; they've –"

"Thank you, you can shut it now," Rebekah snapped distractedly at Kol, who only smirked and stretched himself further on the chair he'd procured to oversee the people his sister had compelled to do their house up for a party. He was sitting languidly, still in casual clothes mostly to annoy Rebekah.

The mansion was beautiful, Kol admitted only to himself, as the lights were strung up and the piano was brought out and cleaned to perfection. Caterers were in the lavish kitchen, making something undefinable to Kol. Elijah was in a suit already (Kol had started to think centuries ago that he must sleep in them, but it was a fond thought rather the uncharitable ones for his other brothers) and maintaining order. Finn was . . . Kol frowned.

Finn had been absent for most of the morning, though he was not concerned (rather relieved; his older brother could be such a kill joy) but it was rather suspicious.

Niklaus was gone, good riddance, Kol thought savagely; the longer Klaus was away, the less he was tempted to attempt to kill his brother and land himself in his coffin for another hundred years. He was with Stephanie Salvatore, who was just familiar enough to bother Kol until he figured out just how he knew her.

"Kol!" Rebekah snapped and the older vampire realized that she must have been calling on him for ages.

Oh, well.

"Yes, sister dear?" Kol drawled, smiling innocently.

"Go get dressed," She glowered, "The guests will be arriving soon. And find Finn; he's been gone all day and he needs to be here."

"Whatever you say," Kol rolled his eyes, "Why are you so looking forward to the event, anyway? Hoping for a good time? Because any man that takes a chance on my strumpet of a sister has to have very large – "

"Kol!" Rebekah screeched and tossed a pillow into his face. He smirked behind the fabric. "Get!" The Original hopped up and flashed to his bedroom and took his time getting ready; he did love to look his best. Nearly an hour later, Kol stepped out of his room with his coiffed hair, black suit, and bow tie. He could hear the sounds of people arriving below him, and endeavored to take his time.

He found Finn in his bedroom, which had wooden paneled walls and was otherwise bare beside a dresser and a four poster bed with a canopy above it.

"Well," Kol smirked, "this is dull. Even for you, brother."

Finn was in front of his mirror, adjusting his own bow tie. "What do you want, Kol?"

"Where have you been?" The younger asked, tilting his head in curiosity. He had a difficult time standing still; he started walking forwards again and moved his hands, tapping his thighs with boundless energy. "The family's been worried for you; Rebekah's about to pull out her hair."

There was a long moment of silence, until –

"Are you angry at Niklaus for imprisoning you?" The question was sudden and unexpected. Finn gazed at him thoughtfully.

"Absolutely furious," Kol said casually and looked at Finn through heavily lidded eyes. "Can't wait to give him some hell for it."

Finn's face revealed nothing.

"I am . . . also . . . looking forward to extracting revenge of Niklaus," Finn finally said and Kol arched a brow.

"Really? Finn the Stoic feels something other than self-righteousness? Colored me surprised," Kol grinned.

Finn leveled a glare straight at him. "If you continue to act like the child you appear to be and not the thousand year old vampire I know you are, then I will not share with you my plan."

Kol's brows shot up to his hairline and genuine shock filled him. "You're serious?" He demanded.

"Yes."

"Then fill me in," Kol leant in forwards eagerly and knew that his eyes would be sparkling with excitement.

"I've invited the Bennett witch and Damon Salvatore . . ."

* * *

Damon paced in the hospital waiting room, furious that he couldn't go in with his friend, and secretly terrified that Rick had finally had the limit of post-mortem resurrections. The other people in the room eyed him warily because thirty minutes ago he'd accidentally snapped at the elderly lady and her asthmatic husband. He'd been garnering dirty looks since.

"Mister Salvatore?" A pretty young doctor stepped out with a clipboard. "You're the only one on Mister Saltzman's emergency contacts. Why don't you come on back?"

As they walked to Rick's room, Damon absorbed the information Dr. Meredith Fell told him; Rick's injuries had faded away quickly – and the startling thing was that it would have been a miracle if he had survived at all, let alone recovered within three hours.

"He healed a bit like regeneration, actually," She was still explaining, "Spontaneous regeneration."

"Like in Heroes or X-Men?" Damon's joke fell flat as they arrived and saw Rick sitting up and taking off his IV.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dr. Fell snapped, "You've not been cleared or signed out."

"I'm fine," Alaric explained tightly.

"It's impossible," She said tightly, "and I'd like for you to stay the night for observation."

Alaric and Damon traded looks.

"Come on, Doc, why don't we just chalk it up to a miracle and let it go?" Damon leered.

"Because no one can get back up after being hit by a car and rammed through a brick wall," The Doctor snapped, "It. Is. Impossible." Her eyes narrowed suddenly on Damon and it seemed as if a light switch flipped on behind her eyes.

"Well, clearly, it is," Damon nodded at Rick, "Exhibit A to your left."

"Right." She was unimpressed. "I can't legally keep you here, Mr. Saltzman, but I recommend it. Or at least a lot of rest. Don't do anything strenuous. If you can, it would be preferable if you could stay with a friend or family member." She inclined her head towards Damon. "Make sure to sign out at the front desk." She turned around briskly and walked away, leaving the two men alone and confused.

"She's up to something," Damon murmured.

"Or she knows something," Alaric suggested.

"Well, you heard her; you've got to stay with me for the rest of the day," Damon said, changing tracks with no warning at all, like he was apt to do, "Which means you're going to a party with me tonight."

The look Rick shot him was absolute loathing. "I got hit by a car and shoved through your house. Why are we going to a party, again?"

"Reconnaissance."

"Reconnaissance," Alaric repeated flatly.

* * *

Elena and Lexi walked into the Mikaelson Ball on either side of Jeremy. Elena had the invitation tucked into her purse, while she wore Q by Davinci Quincanera. It had two black sashes and was dark and a bit lacy; the portion from the hips down had underwire and was particularly "poofy". Lexi wore a sexy V neck long sleeve Crystal Chiffon in black; Jeremy wore a men's black classic two button style super wool suit with a skinny tie.

All bore grim expressions of determination.

"Do you have it?" Lexi asked quietly, aware of all the ears the mansion had that night. The three maneuvered through the crowd together, sticking close to one another. There were boundless other people there and Jeremy thought he had even seen Mayor Lockwood and Sheriff Forbes among them.

"Yes," Elena's voice was nearly silent.

"Good. They'll want proof."

"Now we just have to find the hosts," Jeremy said lightly and his eyes were drawn towards the extravagant, spiraling staircase in in the vast foyer. Standing evenly spaced apart were Elijah, Rebekah, and two other male vampires that Jeremy had never seen before. "So, which one's Finn?"

"Guess we'll have fun finding out," Lexi said in an attempt to be optimistic.

"Or you'll all go home and let the grownups take care of this," An deep voice said behind them and Jeremy jerked forwards before turning his head, along with Elena and Lexi. Damon stood shoulder to shoulder with Rick, both of them in hastily put on black suits of different makes.

"Pardon me, but I'm two hundred years older than you," Lexi cut in snidely, "So if anything, you're the child."

"You're acting like an idiot," Damon hissed from the side of his mouth and Lexi curled her lip. Jeremy distanced himself from their conversation and sent him a significant glance.

"How are you feeling?" He murmured quietly to the older man.

"Stiff and sore," Alaric admitted, "The doctor wanted me to stay for observation, but I didn't think that was good idea."

"And Damon needed his partner in crime," Jeremy pointed out.

"That too," Alaric made a face. Jeremy nodded and out of the corner of his eye thought he caught a flash of Bonnie, but shook his head. He must have been mistaken; why would Bonnie come to a party hosted by vampires?

"Well, I've got a meeting to get to, so . . ." Damon trailed off in his conversation.

"We're here already, so we're coming too," Elena said firmly, "I don't need you to protect me, Damon." Before they could get started again, one of the unknown vampire men had come towards them along with Mayor Lockwood.

"Damon!" Mayor Lockwood smiled broadly, "I had hoped you'd come tonight."

"Well, I just couldn't miss out on a chance to get chummy with our murderous new neighbors," Damon snarked.

Carol smiled tightly. "Elijah's promised to keep his family in check."

"Right," Jeremy drawled, unimpressed and not taken in, "Because clearly he can control three other Originals and a Hybrid so well." Elena shot him a warning glance, which he ignored.

"This is Kol Mikaelson," Carol carried on hurriedly, gesturing towards the man next to her. He had styled brown hair and dark eyes, along with a mischievous smile. He was around Jeremy's height and didn't older than maybe nineteen.

Damon's eyes were narrowed as he proffered his hand. "You look familiar."

Kol smirked and refused to even look at Damon's hand. "I've met a lot of people in my lifetime, Mr. Salvatore, but you don't particularly stand out. But I have seen your sister recently. Real spitfire, that one." He winked and put his hands behind his back. Their entire group twitched and Carol smoothed down the front of her dress.

"Right, well, I'll just see how the donations are going, shall I? The Mikaelsons have been very generous," She aimed at Damon and then swept away.

As soon as she was gone, Kol took a step closer to Damon. "My brother would like a word with you. Alone, if you please." They all stiffened.

"Elijah? He's my favorite Original, you know," Damon said with a vague smile.

"Oh, he's my favorite too," Kol said, his voice very blasé, "but he's not the one that wishes to meet with you. Of course, you know that, don't you, Damon?"

"What does Finn want?" Jeremy asked flatly, forgoing any pretenses.

"Just to speak with Damon," Kol's smile was like a shark's. "Then you'll get him back in one peace. I swear."

"Forgive us if we don't take you at your word," Alaric said stiffly.

"You don't have to," Kol shrugged, "You could just forgo this entire night and go home back to your warm, snuggly beds." He paused and then leered, "But then, you wouldn't be in on the plan Finn has got for our darling Niklaus."

Everyone started.

"Now, Damon," Kol waved a hand extravagantly, "Won't you come with me to meet my older brother?"

There was really no choice at all, when it came to anything about Klaus. So Damon accepted. Jeremy watched as he disappeared discreetly with Kol and the other brother he hadn't met, Finn, and then he turned back to Lexi, Elena, and Rick.

"I'm getting a drink," Alaric muttered almost immediately and he slouched away, adjusting the collar of his suit. Elena spotted Rebekah accosting Matt, and so she took off in a huff to "rescue" him, her dress almost floating along the floor.

Lexi stuck next to Jeremy and snatched a flute of champagne from a server. She sipped it and side-eyed Jeremy.

"What?" He demanded as he defiantly grabbed a flute for himself.

"Nothing," She shrugged and tilted her head back with the drink. Jeremy tried his and found that the taste was almost too sweet to be enjoyable, but he figured he'd adjust to it, like beer.

The front doors of the mansion opened up and both Lexi and Jeremy turned their heads to look; Steph and Klaus had returned from their day trip, hand in hand. They were both dressed casually; Klaus in his normal ensemble of jeans, boots, some kind of V-neck shirt, and his jacket. But as always, Jeremy found his eyes drawn to Stephanie and her green blouse, black skinny jeans, boots, and leather jacket. Her make-up was done up in what Jeremy had by now associated with 'the Ripper', as opposed to his Steph's natural look. Her expression was a mix of cruelty and desire and if Jeremy paid strict attention, he could tell that her lips were still damp with blood and there was a drop in the corner of her mouth. As if hearing his thoughts, her pink tongue darted out and swiped the blood away.

The two vampires strode through the party, mindful of no one except themselves, though Jeremy was sure that Klaus sent him a glance full of daggers. Well, he had tried to kill Jeremy early that day via Tyler Lockwood, so Jeremy had expected there to be some malice aimed towards himself.

Elijah met them in the center, murmured a few quiet words into their ears, and then the couple was slipping away up the spiraling stairs and Elijah was announcing that they move into the ballroom for a bit of dancing. During the great migration, Jeremy ignored Lexi's prodding glances and kept his gaze straight ahead. In the ballroom, Kol had returned, but there was still no sign of Damon or Finn. The Original was seated at the grand piano and, Jeremy was surprised to find, he started to play some Beethoven.

"Ode to joy," Lexi murmured quietly with a quirk of her lips. "Would you like to dance with me, Jeremy?" She winked and pulled him towards the center of the ball room without his consent, but he didn't really struggle either. Who else would he hang out with? Tyler was a sired dick, Matt was off with two girls . . . he really didn't have many friends.

The dance was fast paced, but Kol quickly changed the music up to something slower and so the dancers slowed with him. Jeremy caught sight of Matt twirling Anna, both with large grins of exhilaration on their faces. In a turn of events, Jeremy also saw Rebekah and the witch, Faye Chamberlain, dancing together across the hall.

"The things you learn," Lexi said, clearly having seen them as well. Jeremy and Lexi twisted and turned on the dance floor together as Kol played something jaunty and exciting.

A moment later, they saw Elena go by in Matt's arms, Anna with another boy now.

"Have you seen Damon?" Elena asked in an undertone as they swayed to something softer now.

"No," Jeremy said grimly, "Kol's playing the piano though."

"Elena," Elijah intercepted Jeremy's sister and offered his hand. Elena released Matt's hand with an arched brow, and he went back to dance with Anna, while Elijah took Elena away in his arms to spin on the ballroom floor.

"What they saying?" Jeremy whispered to Lexi suspiciously.

Under her breath, she replied, "He wants to know if there is anything going on that he doesn't know about." Lexi paused. "She's not saying anything."

"Guess Elijah and Rebekah are out of the loop," Jeremy mouthed, but did not dare utter aloud in present company.

"Yeah," Lexi murmured.

Another moment later and soon they were joined in the festivities by a smartly dressed Klaus and a beautiful but dangerous Stephanie. Klaus was in a black three button suit; which was single breasted and had a contemporary look to it. Jeremy was sure that if he was a third party and unbiased, that the suit would have looked great. But as it was, Jeremy knew the vampire as a brutal serial that had threatened his sister and taken his girl. So he was less inclined to give the guy kudos.

Stephanie was in red, full length Sweetheart beaded waistline formal gown. He took in every detail of her; her ruby red lips, dark lidded eyes, black stilettos, and hair piled into a bun on the top her top, with a single strand of hair escaping. It did not escape Jeremy's attention that they were utterly absorbed in each other.

Damon appeared at Lexi's elbow and snatched her from Jeremy's grasp, twirling her around. Lexi was unimpressed.

"What did he say?" Jeremy asked quietly.

Damon's eyes darted over to Stephanie and Klaus and then back to Jeremy; his gaze was grim and it filled Jeremy with dread. "Not here," Damon said decisively, "Where's Elena?"

"With Elijah," Jeremy inclined his head to the left, where Elijah and Elena were finishing up the dance together. He released her and she wandered back over to them, and Jeremy took the time to look over at Klaus and Steph again.

Klaus and Caroline were swaying together, to the blonde's clear disgust, and Stephanie was out of sight. Jeremy took a few steps away from his sister and her friends, and found himself in the corner of the ball.

"You look a little lonely." The voice was the same, but the tone was all wrong.

"You look a little too happy. Who died?" Jeremy turned and saw Steph standing still, close to him.

"Nobody important."

"They're  _all_ important," Jeremy said flatly.

"Well," Steph's brows twitched. "Matter of perspective, then. Care for a dance?"

"Won't your boyfriend get jealous?" Jeremy asked savagely, even as he gripped Steph's tiny waste and led her back onto the ballroom floor.

She leant upwards and a grin curled on her lips. "That's part of the fun, Jere," She whispered, and then took the lead as a moderately paced song began. Jeremy's palms were sweating, along with his upper lip. He twirled Stephanie, and she let out tinkling laughter that turned a few heads.

"I heard you ran into a wall today," Stephanie started.

"Tyler picked me up in his car and ran us through your foyer because Klaus told him to," Jeremy explained, voice hard. "Alaric happened to be in front of the door, so he got caught up in it. He wasn't healing, so he went to the hospital."

Almost as one, they both looked over at Rick, talking to a pretty dark haired woman, both drinking. A man was standing next to them, and things were looking mildly heated.

"The guy's an ex," Stephanie explained when they turned back to each other. She tilted her head, clearly still listening in. "Not a great one, either. Left her on Wickery Bridge after Prom."

"I imagine Klaus doing the same," Jeremy tried to hurt her, but Steph only laughed his face.

"Doubtful."

Klaus appeared at their sides, scowling viciously at Jeremy. "Care for another dance, love?"

"I'd love one," Stephanie smiled at him and they left Jeremy alone. He was quick to catch on that they were not in fact going to dance; they disappeared from the ballroom only seconds later. Jeremy found his way back to his sister and their small group, who appeared to be getting ready to leave.

"There you are," Elena sounded relieved.

"Leaving so soon?" They all turned to see that Finn was at the piano and Kol was at their sides. "The party's just getting started. Well," He allowed, "the after party is. That's when all the good alcohol comes out and there's better modern music instead of this classical stuff for appearances."

"We're good," Damon said, but there was surprisingly little malice in his tone anymore. Clearly whatever talk he'd had with Finn had been enlightening.

"Of course," Kol's smile was once again reminiscent of a shark. "Ta, then, I suppose. I hope to see you and the Bennett witch around again soon."

Surprise filled Jeremy, but soon he was being ushered away by his sister and their entire group had exited the house. Some older couples were leaving too, but there also appeared to be a wave of teachers arriving.

The 'after party', most likely.

Jeremy turned back one more time, just for a last glance.

And then he noticed that Rick was missing.

* * *

Stephanie left the main party with Klaus and let him lead her to a back room she'd not seen yet since "moving in". It was littered with Klaus' art supplies, paintings, and sketches. She was slightly surprised that he'd taken her there; despite being a self-proclaimed monster, he was quite sensitive about his art and rarely let her see it.

"I've been working on something especially for you," Klaus admitted in a rare moment of uncertainty. He took her hand and led her to a canvas.

Stephanie blinked.

On it was a beautiful painting of herself – but not just a modernized version. It appeared to be a bit of a collage of the different points of her life. Each portrait melted into the next, blending seamlessly. It was almost a timeline, starting with their first meeting in New York. There it moved on to their other meetings and in between, when, Stephanie gathered, Klaus had been keeping an eye on her (which only rankled a little). Her expressions were what Klaus had focused the most on, she could tell; he caught her every emotion almost perfectly. There was one image where it must have been in 1912; she was crouched on the ground, a look of perfect devastation on her face, guilt ravaging her insides. Stephanie could remember that evening in a cool and detached way, and could barely reconcile herself with it.

Her eyes quickly darted over to the next image, slightly happier and felt something that might have been relief. The painting overall was colorful and beautiful and was perhaps one of the nicest things someone had done for her while she was in the frame of mind she was currently in.

If she could only disregard that one image.

"What do you think?"

"It's striking. . ." She managed. "I love it."

Klaus' hands came down onto her hips and his mouth was on the junction between her shoulder and neck. "I'd hoped you would."

Stephanie sighed, pushed the one disturbing image on the canvas away, and made herself meld with Klaus' embrace.

"Hungry, love?"

"Starving."

And so he bit into his wrist and offered it to her.

* * *

The Boarding House was stick a wreck when they returned, but the car was gone and the rubble cleared away by someone Damon must have called. Jeremy followed Lexi, Elena, and Damon into the untouched living room, where Damon poured himself a tumbler of bourbon.

"Where's Rick?" Jeremy finally vocalized.

Damon waved a hand, unconcerned. "He seemed to have hit it off with Dr. Creepy."

Jeremy shrugged and tired wave his worry away; after all, if Alaric's best friend wasn't worried, why should he? He still had a nagging feeling though, that wouldn't sway. Luckily, Damon distracted him.

"So, I have good news and bad news."

"Why does this feel familiar?" Jeremy asked no one in particular, but Lexi still shot him a half smile.

"Finn and Kol want revenge on Klaus for putting them in coffins for 900 and 100 years, respectively," Damon started, "Which is good for us."

"What's the bad news?" Elena grasped.

"We can't kill him," Damon soured.

"Why the hell not?" Jeremy snapped.

Damon held up a finger, "One, because they just want him to suffer a bit. They still want their psychopathic brother around in the future, for some unfathomable reason."

"There's more?" Lexi asked, tilting her head. She looked thoughtful.

"This is the worse news," Damon explained.

"I thought there was just good and bad," Jeremy pointed out.

Damon growled and threw his hands up. "Okay. There's good, bad, and horrible news. The good news is that they want revenge and have a plan to get him out of our hair; the bad news is that it doesn't involve killing him; and the horrible news is that even if we could off Klaus, it would be a death sentence to us."

Elena found her voice first. "How?"

Bitterly, Damon explained, "Apparently, if you kill an Original vampire, you kill their entire line of vampires they'd turned. Klaus turned a woman called Bloody Mary, she turned Rose, Rose's blood turned Katherine, Katherine turned me and Steph, and my blood turned Caroline. Not to mention that Tyler comes straight from the source. If we kill Klaus, we all die."

There was utter silence as the information was digested.

"How do they know this?" Lexi demanded.

"I don't know, but it's not exactly something we can risk, is it?" Damon asked sharply, "What if it's true?"

"What if it's not?" Lexi countered.

"Listen, it's not your life on the line, is it?" Damon snapped, "So I'd rather not take any chances."

"What's their plan?" Elena asked quickly. "What do Finn and Kol want to do?"

"They want Bonnie to help them bury Klaus twenty feet beneath the surface," Damon explained. "They want her spell the coffin shut and figuratively throw away the key until they want their brother back."

"Klaus can't be daggered though," Jeremy pointed out, even as everyone else was frozen with shock.

"They want to bury him  _alive_ ," Damon clarified.

"You're kidding," Jeremy said flatly.

"Nope."

"What about Steph's compulsion?" Lexi demanded.

"Elijah broke Klaus' compulsion on Jeremy once before," Elena quickly pointed out, "Maybe Finn could do it for Steph."

"I imagine he put  _a bit_  more effort into compelling Stephanie than Jeremy," Damon said dryly.

"But it's worth a shot," Lexi was quick to reassure her. Her blue eyes captured Damon's. "So. When do they want to do this?" Damon's eyes lit up with a fire that matched the heat crawling in Jeremy's belly; it was almost over. They could get rid of Klaus and save Stephanie, all in one fell swoop.

"As soon as possible."


	9. in the quiet moment when the earth holds still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for?  
> Why don't we break the rules already?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes used/borrowed. Hello, readers! I'm glad you've returned!
> 
> Note: Very little Steph in this one, but a lot of Bonnie. Also, I've taken some character liberties when it comes to Finn and Kol; Julie Plec and/or the other TVD writers left quite a bit to be desired, character development wise, or really anything at all with their characters. Finn was killed off pretty quickly and Kol only lasted a bit a longer, so we didn't really get a huge sense for them. So, like I said, I took a couple of liberties in an attempt to round them out a bit.

Bonnie Bennett walked in on one of the oddest things she'd ever seen in her life; the Boarding House was full to the brim of activity, which wasn't all that unusual, but it was the people that made all the difference. Damon, Elena, and Jeremy were the usual suspects, generally with Alaric (who was strangely absent), but with them that day was also Lexi, who was now a fixture in the house as well, along with Finn and Kol Mikaelson. Despite the fact that she had been expecting them really didn't help at all, for the sight was so . . . unfamiliar.

"Miss Bennett," Finn addressed her formally, with a slight inclination of his head, "I am obliged that you could arrive as soon as you did. We would like to commence planning the next stage, if you would join us." Bonnie saw Damon roll his eyes, and Jeremy cross his arms, and Lexi smirk.

"Where's Caroline? And Matt?" And Tyler, Bonnie's mind supplied, but she already knew the answer to that last one; Tyler  _could not_  be trusted with something like this. The night of the Homecoming party had proved that.

Elena came to her rescue, "Matt's on a date with a resurrected Anna," She shrugged, odded out by that sudden relationship as the rest of their group of friends was. "And Caroline should be on her way over, I think. Come in and sit down."

Bonnie picked her way over and found that Kol's gaze followed her around the room. She turned her head once to glance at him, and he looked back with his mischievous, dark eyes and winked.

"Hello sweetheart," He leered and waved a hand to the cushion chair in front of him. "Care for a chair?"

"Not with you," Bonnie muttered and moved to sit next to Elena, who was in the love seat. Damon was pacing over by the bottles of bourbon and other alcoholic beverages that Bonnie wouldn't be able to name if her life depended on it (for Damon's alcohol collection was vast and legendary).

"Thank you for coming," Finn repeated in less formal speech, nodding again, "Your presence  _is_ greatly appreciated."

"Yes, yes, we all love witches, celebrate them and respect them, blah blah blah," Damon waved a hand, clearly irritated and annoyed. He swished his drink in his tumbler. "Let's keep calm and carry on, yes?"

"Just because you're an asshole who –" Bonnie started to snap, but was stopped by the loud arrival of Caroline.

"Don't stop on my account," The perky blond smiled, open-mouthed, "I'm sure Damon's done something to deserve it today."

"What crawled up and died in you today, Barbie?" Damon snapped angrily.

"Well, considering every  _other_ attempt to kill Klaus or otherwise save Steph has failed, excuse me for being less than optimistic," Caroline shot back, surprisingly acerbically.

"We didn't have Originals to help us before," Elena soothed.

"No, we only had the Original Daddy, who was the best of the best of badasses," Caroline snapped.

"Caroline," Bonnie protested and all at once the blonde deflated and it was like she was a puppet whose strings were cut; she collapsed on the love seat on Bonnie's other side.

"Sorry," She waved a hand at an emotionless Finn, "carry on."

"No, do continue," Kol smirked, entirely amused. He was the picture of sanguinity as he sprawled out on the chair he'd previously offered to Bonnie, his eyes lidded heavily and his boots were kicked off and sitting perfectly by the fireplace. Bonnie could even see a white ear bud hanging out of the pocket of his blue jeans, along with the tip of a solid white iPhone. Clearly someone had educated him very quickly about the twenty-first century.

"Kol," Finn reprimanded, but his brother only rolled his eyes.

"Let's get a move on then," Kol said cheerily, "I want Klaus six feet under by midmorning tomorrow if at possible. I've already decided to put him in my coffin; it'll be like my house warming present to him. Only I'll be presenting him with my previous house, instead." His smile was shark like and biting.

Bonnie cleared her throat and drew the attention of the rest of the house solely onto her. "We need to figure out a way to keep Klaus locked into the coffin for good. What's to keep Rebekah or Elijah from simply getting their witch to open it back up whenever she wants to?"

"Bribe the witch?" Jeremy suggested.

"I'm sure Klaus has more than just Faye Chamberlain just a phone call away," Damon shook his head, grimacing. "We have to assume that either he or Rebekah or Elijah have backups besides Faye."

"So how do we make this spell unbreakable?" Elena wondered, "How do we make it so that no one but Bonnie can open it back up?"

"We cannot." Finn stated in his monotone voice. "A single witch cannot make a spell that would keep all others from penetrating it; it is neigh impossible. You need a familial bond or a coven to do what you're suggesting."

"Or you need a bit of grey magic," Kol said from his place on the couch, a wicked smile on his face, "Any witch can do this. Well . . ."

Finn spun and glared. "What you are speaking off is dark and dangerous, and you are not introducing the Bennett witch to it. That is final."

The rest of their group looked at each other warily, and Damon shot off his mouth, curious, "What kind of magic are you talking about here?"

"Nothing," Finn said shortly, "that is of your concern because we will not endanger Bonnie Bennett's life with it."

Caroline and Elena exchanged glances.

Bonnie sat a little straighter, curious now. "What is it?" Finn licked his lips and looked about to refuse them again, but Kol interrupted.

"It's called Expression," Kol explained and he sat up and forwards, looking as eager and excited as any of them had ever seen him. "It's a form of sorcery that most witches call worse than black magic, but it gets the job done and is magnificent-"

Damon twitched. Expression? It sounded a little familiar . . .

"And it is also highly dangerous!" Finn's voice was brittle and the entire room lapsed into silence beneath his glare that was aimed at his youngest brother. "You should know that, Kol, or have you forgotten?"

Bonnie's curiosity was piqued, and so was everyone else's at this point. "Just explain what it is," She said evenly, "If it's as dark as you make it out to be, we would never use it anyway." Behind her back, Bonnie discreetly crossed her fingers in a childish act of defiance.

Finn nearly growled, but explained it them nonetheless, resigned, "Expression is worse than black magic. In fact, many witches don't even call it magic. It is a form of extremely dark and powerful sorcery that draws on malicious powers that are so evil it is said to be able to demolish the world if it were ever called into existence."

Lexi asked a question that they were wondering. "How do you know so much about witches? I wouldn't think your mother would teach you about  _that_. You've been in a coffin for a century," She pointed at Kol, and then to Finn, "but you've been in one for eight times that."

Finn seemed guarded, but Kol seemed one to throw all caution to the wind. "Mother wasn't the only witch the family. It seemed that only 'Lijah, Klaus, and Henrik, along with Father, were the only ones that weren't."

They let that sink in.

"But as soon as you turned into vampires . . ." Bonnie started, "Your connection to the earth was severed and Finn, Rebekah, and you couldn't be witches anymore." Expression sounded dangerous, but from the way Finn and Kol talked about it, it seemed that they were quite intimate with the dark force.

"So, what?" Damon was clearly of the same mind, and drawled, "You guys got tired of Mummy's boring Hogwarts classes and decided to find something more fun to do? Got hooked on this expression stuff?"

Finn shook his head only once, but it was firm enough to disprove any working theories many of them might have been forming.

"There was a bit of rag tag coven," Kol explained, "close to our village. Well," he amended with a shrug, "it was actually deep in the forest, but we were able to find it okay enough by accident."

"The group there was . . . eccentric," Finn appeared reluctant to continue explaining, but continue he did. Bonnie thought it was most likely he did so to shut Kol up. "They all relied on the ley lines that ran beneath the earth to focus their magic, and their coven was more of a community; they probably had anywhere between twenty and thirty members at any given time."

"They wanted more power though," Kol was facing Bonnie intimately now, his dark eyes excited and entrancing. "They couldn't get enough. We were on a hunting trip when Finn and I stumbled upon them in the forest. They were just as likely to wipe our memories as they were to let us go, but they were pretty excited when they found out we were witches."

"Why?" Elena asked, frowning.

"More witches equals more power," Kol smirked, "We introduced Rebekah, but kept it from our mother."

"Even straight laced Finn?" Damon asked sardonically.

Finn glowered, but Kol only laughed. "So after a bit, after we'd come and gone for weeks, when they were sure they could trust us, they started to show us some tricks. Eventually, they mentioned Expression."

"They wanted to attain it and hoped that we could help them," Finn explained darkly. Kol's demeanor changed a little then, to everyone but his brother's surprise.

"Yes, yes, there's one catch about this particular parlor trick," Kol said, twisting his lips into a frown, "They told us about a man called Silas; according to  _him_ , when twelve humans are murdered, the earth is marked with power. When a witch taps into the magical energy that is left behind, it allows them to use it for Expression."

"They wanted us to lead them to our village, where they could massacre twelve people to connect them – and us – with Expression. We refused," Finn finished, crossing his arms, "So you see, Expression is dangerous and dark and  _not to be trifled with._ "

Bonnie was horrified at even the thought of murder, but the idea of  _witches_  willing to kill twelve people for the sake of magic was ghastly. She glared at Kol. "So you thought it was wise to suggest something to us that even  _you_  wouldn't do when you were human?"

"But see, I was a human then," Kol smirked and leaned forwards to match Bonnie. "I don't really care anymore, to be honest."

"Then it's a good thing that vampires can't have magic," Bonnie hissed angrily.

Kol's eyes shuttered once, but then cleared. He waved a hand and the bravado was back as if it had never left. "I just figure you'd want a permanent way to lock up Klaus until your natural life ended, that's all. Expression could do that; it isn't monitored by the spirits of nature and therefore its power is potentially limitless." Bonnie froze at the tidbit at the end. Limitless magic that wasn't monitored by the spirits sounded enticing, even if she didn't particularly know why.

"But it is not the only thing that can get the job done," Finn said forcefully, his face tight with tension, "Like I said before, a familial bond or a coven would work to keep Klaus contained for the foreseeable future." Bonnie could tell that there was something the brothers weren't telling them, but she figured that if it was particularly important, they would either share or she could find a way to figure it out later.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, Bonnie has neither a coven nor a live family member at the moment," Damon said acidly, "So unless we want Judgy to become a mass murderer – which is out, to be clear – we're back to square one of not knowing how to keep Faye or any other witch from digging Klaus back up."

Bonnie winced at the mention of her Grams' death.

"Magic is passed down," Kol persuaded, "Surely one of your parents has magic."

"My mom," Bonnie said coolly, meeting Kol's eyes.

"Fantastic," Kol grinned.

"– but she abandoned us when I was young, so she's out of the question."

"Do a tracking spell," Kol said, rapid-fire, "You could find her quickly – "

"And do what?" Bonnie stood, hands clenched at her sides, "Do what? Ask her to help me do magic, the thing that drove her away?"

Kol stood as well, and heatedly said, "Tell her that you're taking down a monster that would ravage the world's cities."

"What makes you think that we'll stop with Klaus?" Bonnie hissed under her breath lowly. "What makes you think I won't take you down next? You're just as awful as him."

Kol only placed that infuriating smirk back onto his face. "Because."

"Because?"

He didn't say anything, only shrugging. Bonnie nearly shrieked from frustration and Finn called order back to things, and got them all onto the original track. While he was talking to Damon and the others, Bonnie's phone vibrated with a text from an unknown number.

_Because you really_ do  _want to learn Expression. And I could help you._

Bonnie's eyes snapped up to Kol's innocent but hopeful face and she very deliberately deleted the text. He only shrugged, so sure of Bonnie eventually agreeing that he would take whatever she threw at him.

Bonnie tried to drag her attention back to the meeting, but she couldn't help but wonder at the gnawing questions that Kol had presented her with; did she really want Expression? What would she even do with it?  _Help her friends help her family help everyone_  But the big question, Bonnie knew, was what did Kol Mikaelson gain from getting Bonnie to do Expression? Bonnie shut down that line of questions because she refused,  _absolutely refused_ to even entertain the idea of murdering twelve innocents for her own personal gain.

"Alright, so we need you to perform a tracking spell . . ."

.

.

.

Elena stood at the fringes of their group with Damon, arms crossed tightly around her middle with her eyes riveted to Bonnie's form in the center of the living room. Her friend was sitting in a ring of brightly lit candles, eyes closed and her mouth moving quickly with murmured Latin. Bonnie was clutching a sweater in her mocha hands, wringing it either unconsciously or with anxiety.

Elena would understand if it was the latter; the idea of seeing your mother after she abandoned you when you were young . . . well, Elena had been through that. Adoption wasn't quite the same as abandonment, and Elena was still unsure at points if Isobel had ever thought her daughter was more than a means to an end. Bonnie's mother had loved her, Elena knew. Still loved her.

Elena's eyes wandered.

Lexi was sitting next to Caroline, both blonde with pin straight hair that afternoon. They were speaking quietly to each other but Elena could make out Tyler's name a few times, along with the sire bond. She turned away from them, and looked at the Originals, Kol and Finn.

The brothers were as different as could be, with the only real resemblance between them being their dark hair and brown eyes. Otherwise, their sense of style, their attitudes and personality, even their physical stances were different; Finn was conservative and in the closest thing he could be to a suit, and was stiff and barely seemed to emote. Kol was his polar opposite; his body was languid like water, taking up space despite the fact he was lean man (teenager? Elena couldn't tell). His smiles were easily given, and he was in casual clothing, in jeans and boots. Neither noticed her watching, despite her intent gaze; both were focused on Bonnie, though their intent was vastly different. Finn watched with professional interest, while Kol's was . . . interest, hunger. Desire.

Elena frowned. She didn't want Bonnie to have to get tangled in some kind of weird thing with Kol, but she figured that the witch could hold her own.

Finally, Elena's gaze was drawn to her baby brother and the spot next to him that Alaric would usually occupy. He was watching Bonnie like everyone else was, tense and sitting on the edge of his seat. He was clearly ready for life to go back to normal, but Elena wondered, what was normal? Life back when their biggest problem had been Katherine? Or when there had been no problems at all?

Or maybe when their parents were still around to protect them from all this supernatural stuff.

The sight of the Tyler Lockwood's car careening through the front door and into the foyer still flashed before Elena's eyes; the previous night she'd had nightmares. She kept seeing Alaric's still body and Jeremy's pale one. Both dead. Both gone permanently.

Elena didn't want her brother to be in any more danger. Not because of her, or their friends, or the Salvatores. She  _never_ wanted  _Klaus_ to be the cause of any more of Jeremy's pain.

There was only one way to do that, Elena knew.

Damon's cool hand touched her hip and then his arm was around her waist. "What's the matter?" His lips were ghosting over the shell of her ear and she held back a shiver at his icy breath.

"Come with me," She whispered quietly, and so they glided from the room without anyone truly paying them any attention, and led Damon back to the far end of the house where no prying ears would be able to pick up their conversation. Elena stood straight backed and firm, her lips pressed together in a thin line.

Damon picked up on the sudden change in atmosphere, so he tried to gently tease her, "The witchy mojo getting to you?"

Elena tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and then put it back. Looked at the ground. Took a deep breath, and then decided to be blunt. She looked into Damon's magnetic eyes and told him what she'd been pondering over for the last twenty four hours. "I want you to compel Jeremy."

Damon arched a brow in what only those close to him would understand as surprise. "To do what, exactly? Juggle? Have better life skills? He burned spaghetti the other day, you know-"

"I want you to compel him to go and stay with our relatives in Denver," Elena continued, pushing past Damon's chatter, "It's not safe here for him. Not anymore." She painfully pushed passed the memories of her parents, her Aunt Jenna, and Isobel and John. She wouldn't let Jeremy be hurt like they had.

Damon regarded her seriously and put his hands onto her shoulders. "It's never been safe here, Elena. He knows that. He doesn't care."

"Well, I do!" Elena hissed and protective anger bubbled in her chest. She threw off his arms, "He's my brother and I love him! And our parents aren't here to watch out for him, and Jenna's not here to tell not to do drugs, and Alaric's great, but he's not our father.  _I_ have to look after Jeremy. I have to protect him. And right now, he's needs protection from Klaus and Stephanie and this town. To do that, he needs to leave and be safe. Be happy in Denver – make friends, get good grades! Draw!"

Damon made an unhappy noise, "I don't think this is a good idea."

"But it's  _my_ brother and  _my_ family, Damon," Elena said firmly, never breaking eye contact with her boyfriend. "You'd want to protect Stephanie, if you could. You  _want_ to protect her from Klaus. You have to understand this."

Damon frowned and Elena watched the conflict behind his eyes, but then he nodded. "Whatever you think is best. Because he's your brother and it's your right to make that decision. But I want you to know that  _I know_ this is going to come back bite you in the ass."

"That's the future," Elena swallowed, "Right here, right now in the present, it's for the best."

Damon sighed and Elena saw him clearly fight the urge to roll his eyes. "When-" His phone chirped and he quickly looked down at the text messages. "It's Rick," He looked back up and seeing Elena's worried look, elaborated, "There's a Council meeting and I think I should head over. Might be important." Damon took a step forwards and kissed Elena slowly and then stepped back.

"Maybe you should think about this a bit more while I'm gone," Damon suggested.

"I won't change my mind." She was determined. No one would change her mind.

"At least you'll think about it," Damon hedged and then gave another quick good-bye. "Don't let the others get Klaus without me."

Elena watched him slide passed the others in the living room and forwent his car, turning into a blur as he raced to meet Rick.

.

.

.

"You look like shit," Damon greeted Alaric, five minutes later, taking in the shadows beneath Alaric's eyes. They stood together in front of Mayor Lockwood's house, each observing the other.

"Thanks," Rick said wryly, "Just what I wanted to hear." He turned to look at the Mayor's house for a moment and then turned to look at Damon. "Why can't a Council meeting ever _just_ be a Council meeting? I mean, this is some kind of fundraiser too."

Damon shook his head. "Preaching to the choir, Rick." His mind went back to a determined looking Elena back his house and he tried to brush the conversation away for the moment; Damon didn't want to think about it all night.

He and Alaric walked in together, side by side, and found that the place was packed to capacity. They all wore evening dresses and suits and the men realized that they were terribly under dressed, not that they cared over too much. They made their way through the crowd and saw a large model of part of the town, a part that Damon knew almost intimately.

"That's the bridge where Elena and Jeremy's parents died," He told Alaric as they came to a stop in front of it.

"They're rebuilding it," Alaric observed quietly. They stood awkwardly, and Rick's hand went back to rub the nape of his nape, uncomfortable.

"Yeah . . ." Damon frowned and snatched a tumbler off of a passing tray, shooting it back. He clapped Rick on the shoulder. "I'm going to find the host, write a check, and then we're out, okay? There's something brewing at the house that I'd like you to be in on."

"Sounds good to me," Alaric murmured and then watched as Damon disappeared into the throng of tightly packed people. He continued to gaze at the model of Wickery Bridge with his hands folded behind his back.

"Alaric Saltzman; the miracle patient," A light and feminine voice said behind him, and Rick looked up to see Dr. Fell.

"Dr. Fell," He smiled genuinely at her.

"Glad to see you're still alive," She said wryly, "I'd thought perhaps you'd died in your sleep."

"Yeah, well, I guess I have nine lives," Alaric grinned sheepishly and shuffled his feet. He almost felt like he was in high school again, with a schoolyard crush. Meredith Fell was truly a beautiful, kind, headstrong woman –

"Sounds like a good thing to have in a town full of vampires."

Cue all of Alaric's dreams crashing and burning on the ground. His face fell and he looked at her suspiciously. In a very hushed voice, he quickly asked her, "I'm sorry. Are you on the Founder's Council?"

Dr. Meredith Fell nodded, still smiling softly, and indulged Alaric's wish to talk quietly, "I'm a Fell; I come from a long line in the Founder's, may they rest in peace." She turned and stared at the model while Alaric stared at her dark curls. She was pale with full red lips – suddenly she turned and looked at him. "I hate that bridge. My senior prom date dumped me on this bridge." He was jarred from his thoughts.

The atmosphere lightened. "Oh yeah? Did you throw him over it?"

"No," She laughed, "but I should have. I've been holding a grudge ever since." Alaric joined her laughter and they smiled winningly at each other. Rick felt a sense of happiness that he hadn't felt since – Isobel. Some of his cheer deflated, but he kept his smile. Meredith continued, "Where'd your friend go? I was supposed to hit him up for some money for the fundraiser."

"Oh, you should," Alaric assured her, "He's loaded."

"He's in good company," Meredith said humorously, "Some British guy just pledged to match every dollar we raised tonight."

Alaric felt ice in the pit of his stomach and when Meredith's face fell, realized that his anger and apprehension must have shown on his face. "What do you mean British guy?"

* * *

Bonnie's eyes flew open and she felt her breath taken away from her from there mere sight, even if it was only in her head, of her mother for the first time in years.

"Well?" Kol drawled and his eyes sharp.

Caroline shoved passed him and knelt down by Bonnie's side, taking one of her hands into her own. "Are you okay?"

"I – I found her," Bonnie's voice surprised herself, as it was quiet and breathy, "I saw her. She's been living in a farmhouse; with – with another teenager. He's like her son." Tears gathered into her eyes at the admission and she angrily wiped them away. "She's got a replacement kid."

"Oh, Bonnie," Caroline sighed and pulled the witch into her embrace. "Bonnie."

Bonnie let her, burying her face into her friend's neck and blonde curls. Elena came to sit on Bonnie's other side, wrapping her arms around the witch tightly. A heavy hand rested on Bonnie's shoulder and she didn't have to look up to know that it was Jeremy. She heard some shuffling and complaints from Kol, but eventually the Originals stepped out of the room and Lexi had dropped onto the floor on Caroline's other side, quiet as a mouse.

"Should we find another way to do this?" Elena gently asked, "You don't have to see your mom."

"I do," Bonnie said, a little drained, but determined. "I have to put Klaus away. If seeing my mother is the only way to do it, I'll do it." But it wasn't the only way; Kol's mention of Expression lingered in the back of her mind, but she quickly brushed it away. She'd rather see her mother than murder twelve people. She'd have to be strong.

"Then let's do it," Caroline said a little grimly. "Let's go find your mother."

* * *

Damon watched Klaus and Stephanie talk with Carol Lockwood for several minutes before he decided to go over there and join them. "Look what the cat dragged in," He drawled, icy blue eyes taking in Stephanie's low cut shirt. "Cover up, Sis; you never know what trash you'll attract in  _that_."

Her answering smile was all venom and pointed teeth. "Find someone else to parent, Damon, because I'm not interested in your sorry attempts to baby-sit me."

"Carol and I were just discussing if you would be tonight's other benefactor," Klaus smoothly interrupted with a lazy grin. His hand was possessively lying on the small of Steph's back, which she seemed very comfortable with. Damon was slightly revolted and his own hand twitched with the desire to deck the smug Hybrid's grin off of his face. Elena's words about protecting their siblings from barely an hour ago came back to him. He tried to shrug the thought off, but wasn't quite successful.

"What do you say, Damon?" Carol asked professionally, "Klaus has made a very generous pledge, and you know how we're chomping at the bit to start the renovation." Her expression was tense, though, and she was clearly anticipating the need to diffuse the tension from the three supernaturals in her midst.

"Carol." Damon smiled winningly, "Don't take this the wrong way, but do you realize that you've been kissing ass to the immortal hybrid that ruined your son's life."

Before Carol could comment, Klaus snapped back with a curled lip, "Oh, come now. Some might say that I saved it, what with the nasty full moon bit," He turned away from Damon and looked fully at Carol, his face and tone of voice completely compassionate, "I've only ever gone through it twice myself before, but I'm very sympathetic."

Unbelievably, Carol nodded with a tight smile. She turned back to Damon with a disapproving look. "Klaus has agreed to protect Tyler and our town, Damon. Don't let your feelings surrounding any past dealings you've had with Klaus, or your sister's relationship cloud your judgment here."

Damon gaped for a split second and saw that Stephanie was highly amused, her lips curled into a laughing grin. He glowered at her, and deciding to not even a _ddress_ the relationship thing, and then snapped at Carol, "Protection from what, exactly?"

"Anything and everything that threatens this town, Damon," Klaus said slickly.

"The only thing threatening this town is you and your family," Damon shot back, his brows in his hairline. "And I thought you were skedaddling from Mystic Falls as soon as possible?"

"Plans change," Klaus tilted his head, smiling, "The town is starting to grow on me again, to be honest."

"Nik's right, you know." Damon turned his head and saw Rebekah in a slinky midnight blue dress behind him, with the surprising addition of Faye Chamberlain. Rebekah smiled prettily at him. "This was  _our_ home first." Faye was in a body hugging red number, her wild dark hair around her shoulders. Her golden eyes were flashing with pleasure and her fingers brushing against Rebekah's ever so slightly. Damon arched a brow.

"Well, you vanish for a thousand years and things kind of go native," Damon snarked back to her, filing away the information about the two women in the back his mind for later. "If you're going to establish a place to live, it's kind of necessary to stick around to insure its upkeep."

"As enlightening and intellectually stimulating as this conversation is," Steph arched one dark, thin brow, and with one look, Damon could tell how  _unintellectual_ she actually thought it was, "I felt the need to interrupt to ask where your darling Elena is tonight. She's usually in the thick of things and it makes one worry when she's not in sight."

"At home, snug as a bug in rug," Damon grinned, all teeth, "Not that it's any of your business. Sister."

"Of course it is," Stephanie smirked, "She is one of my best friends, after all."

"Was," Damon corrected, "She wants nothing to do with you now."

"Ouch," Steph said wryly, "That burned."

"Want some ice?" Damon offered.

"Only if it's from the wall around your heart."

The Salvatore's shared a look of partial appreciation for bad insults and stung pride. Klaus decided to break them up.

"Come with me for meal, won't you love?" And Stephanie was easily distracted from her brother with the thought of blood put into her head and soon they were skiving off together, hip to hip as they prowled for innocents to drain the life out of that evening.

.

.

.

Alaric couldn't find Damon and on one of his circuits around the mansion, found Meredith arguing with a tall man. He was thin and had a shock of brown hair on his head, and he was standing threateningly over the slight doctor. Rick started in their direction, overhearing their conversation.

"What are you doing? You're throwing your career away."

"Says the guy who got his job from his father," Meredith snapped.

"Do you even know what you're messing with here?" The guy asked scathingly.

"I don't what I'm doing," She said shortly and skirted around him. The guy didn't get the hint though, and grabbed for her. "Get off of me! Damn it, Bryan."

"Hey, hey, hey," Alaric slid between them, "Everything alright here?"

"Everything's fine," Bryan retorted.

Alaric tilted his head. "Didn't look fine from where I was standing."

Unbelievably, Bryan snorted laughter. "You might want to get to know her before you become her white knight." When Rick still looked unconvinced, Bryan added, "She's kind of a psycho-case."

Alaric laughed. "Oh, you're that guy, aren't you?" Still chuckling darkly, Rick continued, "The one asking to have his teeth kicked in."

Bryan only blinked. "Take it from me, man. Life's too short."

Meredith regarded him with angry eyes. "Just go away, Bryan." The other merely shrugged and turned, leaving the two alone. Meredith sighed softly and waved a hand. "Behold: my senior prom date." She shook her head.

"Oh, you definitely should have thrown him over the bridge," Rick sniggered.

"I almost wish I had," Meredith looked worn, "I have to work with him; he's on the Council and the medical team. He's the guy that signs his name under cause of death, animal death."

"I get it," Alaric nodded knowingly.

"Yeah," Meredith agreed and her phone buzzed. "Duty calls. Thanks for the hero moment."

"Any time," Alaric smiled and then his gaze followed Bryan's trail out of the mansion. Meredith's phone bleeped loudly and she looked down, frowning. Alaric drew his brows together. "Something wrong?"

"They need me at the hospital," Meredith murmured quietly and then looked back up. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go; it's an emergency."

"By all means, go save the day," Alaric smiled genuinely and Meredith laughed.

"I'll try. Have a nice evening, Alaric." The beautiful doctor disappeared just as Damon reappeared.

"It's the creepy doctor," Damon mused right in Rick's ear, making the hunter frown and jerk away.

"She's not creepy," He defended quickly.

"Yeah, yeah," Damon waved a hand, "Ready to go?"

"I was looking for you earlier. I think Klaus is here," Alaric told him, lips thinning, "We need to find him."

"Been there and done that; ready to move on," Damon said impatiently, "He's been kissing ass to Carol with Steph on his elbow and Rebekah and Faye in toe. I say let's get the hell out of dodge because  _we've_  got something up our sleeves to take care of  _that_ problem."

"I've actually got something to do," Alaric murmured, distracted. His eyes were trained on the door that Bryan had gone out of. "I'll come over later."

He started off, leaving Damon standing around, puzzled.

* * *

Everything was planned out by the time Damon got home, but it was also almost sun set. Bonnie had quickly left to find her mother with Lexi in toe, the only one that didn't have any obligations to school or competitions or committees. They'd left immediately.

Finn and Kol had then left soon thereafter, heading to the "Original Mansion", for their presence would also be missed and be extremely suspicious. That had left Elena, Jeremy, and Caroline there by themselves until Caroline left for the night.

When Damon finally came through the door, Elena nearly sprang from her seat. They exchanged glances and when he arched a brow, Elena only nodded her head once. Briskly, Damon called Jeremy over, and the two Gilberts followed the vampire outside in the cooling air.

"What's going on?" Jeremy's hands were shoved deeply into his pockets, his face pinched. "Did you find Alaric?"

Damon waved a hand, "Yeah, he and I went to a quick Council meeting where we found out that Klaus has Carol in his pocket." He grimaced.

At the new revelation, both Gilbert's looked up, surprised. "How?"

"Fed her some crap about saving Tyler and keeping the town safe," Damon said blithely, "but that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Then what?" Jeremy asked. "Did something else happen?"

Elena stepped over to her brother and gently took the vervain bracelet off of his wrist and slipped her hand into his. "Jeremy, I've asked Damon to protect you."

Jeremy didn't quite realize what she meant yet. "What?"

"I'm going to compel you," Damon explained quietly, his eyes tired.

"What?" Jeremy repeated and then jerked out of Elena's hold, "No!"

" _Stop struggling and stand still,"_ Damon caught Jeremy's gaze and the teenage boy slowed, entranced and within Damon's mental grasp. The vampire shot his girlfriend one last glance. "Last chance to say no, Elena."

"Do it."

" _You're going to go away for a while . . ."_

* * *

The drive was a long, silent and slightly awkward one, and it took them all night and they didn't arrive until morning. The sun was blinding and the temperature warm, which would have been nice except for the burning pit of anxiety in Bonnie's stomach.

The farmhouse was beautiful; two stories and the property extended all around them. On the far side of the house was a large open garage, which looked to have been transformed from an actual barn. There was a loud electrical sound coming from that direction, so Bonnie and Lexi exchanged glances and knew that that was probably where the teenager was.

Bonnie headed towards the front door.

"Do you remember her at all?" Lexi asked quietly as they stepped up the porch steps together.

"A bit," Bonnie muttered and paused at the door. She turned to Lexi. "Why don't you wait out in the car? I don't want my mother to freak out because I'm hanging out with a vampire."

The blonde only shrugged. "It's your mother and your life. I'll be out here." And she so turned back around and leaned on the car, settling there with ear buds in her ears and a phone to mess around with while she waited.

Bonnie turned back and raised her hand to ring the bell.

"Can I help you?" Bonnie turned her head and saw the boy, the teenager who her mother had  _replaced_  her with.

Stiffly, Bonnie said, "I'm here looking for Abby Bennett."

"She's not home," The guy said, tilting his head suspiciously. He dusted off his hands. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I can come back," Bonnie said, still hesitant about approaching her mother. Her mind flashed to Klaus again and she forced herself to stand still. "But now would be preferable."

"You look really familiar," The guy put his hand to his face and he smiled a little.

"Abby is my mother," Bonnie met the guy's gaze. "And I need to speak with her urgently."

The guy was shocked, but he managed to recover a little. "I'm Jamie. Um, do you and your friend," His eyes shot to Lexi, "want to come in and wait?"

Lexi looked up and Bonnie sighed and nodded.

"Alright."

Jamie led them in and settled them in at the kitchen table. They politely refused anything to eat or drink and Bonnie didn't meet Jamie's eyes.

"So, are you and Bonnie related or do you just help out?" Lexi asked bluntly and Bonnie shot her a horrified look.

Jamie quirked the side of his mouth up, and replied, "Nah. Abby just dated my father a while bag, but he's a deadbeat, so when they split up she kind of started to take care of me."

The door opened and closed and Bonnie heard her mother's so familiar, yet so different voice, asking who was there.

"It's me," Bonnie cleared her throat, "Bonnie, your daughter."

Abby came into view and Bonnie's heart stuttered in her chest.

"Bonnie," Abby breathed.

* * *

Damon and Elena saw Jeremy off mid-afternoon from the Gilbert house, and Elena had to keep herself from crying as he drove away in his car to the airport. They stood in the porch long after he left.

"He'll be find," Damon murmured quietly, "Just like you wanted. Everything will be just fine."

"I know," Elena nodded almost to herself and folded her arms across her chest.

Damon's phone rang, breaking the heavy silence, and he picked it up. "Hello?"

"We have a problem." It was Sheriff Forbes.

"Now's not a great time," Damon muttered, eyeing Elena out of the corner of his eye.

"There's been another murder; a hiker called it in and my guys got there first."

"Another hybrid?" Damon asked lowly.

"That's what I thought at first . . . but it doesn't fit. The man was Bryan Walters, the medical examiner. He's the one who signed off on all of the 'animal attacks'," Liz continued.

"What happened to him?" Damon asked, "If it wasn't a hybrid . . ."

"There's a stake sticking out of his chest, but he was no vampire. This was a murder; a regular one."

Damon's eyes widened. "That's a problem."

"Yes. It is. I'm going to start the investigation soon and I thought you might know something; Walters was Dr. Fell's ex-boyfriend. And Alaric Saltzman was seen talking and being extremely friendly with Dr. Fell last night at the Council banquet," Liz's voice was grim.

"What?" Damon asked incredulously and Elena's attention was finally captured. "Rick would never."

"He was seen having an argument with Walters earlier that evening," Liz explained further, voice tired. Elena's phone went off a second later, and she disappeared into her house to take it.

"I don't care," Damon said flatly, "Rick wouldn't kill someone."

"I'm just saying that he's under suspicion," Liz said firmly. The Gilbert house door opened again and Elena popped out and indicated she needed to speak with him.

"Let me call you back later," Damon said, "and I'll clear things up with Rick as soon as things are squared away where I'm at."

"What do you mean? Damon-"

Damon hung up and turned to Elena. "Well?"

"That was Bonnie; they're on their way back now and defying speed limits," Elena explained, "And they have Abby. But as of right now, she's not able to do magic."

"What? Why?" Damon demanded.

Grimly, Elena explained, "Apparently, Mikael came to Mystic Falls fifteen years ago, searching for the doppelgänger. Abby led him away and used a desiccation spell to put him down, but it drained away all of her magic."

"So how is she supposed to help us?" Damon threw his hands up, "We need either a familial bond or a coven, or else Bonnie has to use Expression, which would be a Really Bad Thing."

"Well, her magic didn't really disappear until she left Bonnie, so they have this theory that maybe after she comes home and is around her daughter, it'll come back," Elena explained.

"How long will it take?" Damon scowled. This close!

Elena shrugged helplessly. "They plan on working together tirelessly until they figure it out; they're already practicing on the way home. In the meantime, we need a coffin so they can start putting the enchantments on it when they get back."

Damon turned around and started to pace. "I'll give Kol a call so he bring over his coffin so we can use that," He rolled his eyes, "though I'm not sure he knows the meaning of the word 'subtly' so that might not work."

"What did Sheriff Forbes want?"

Damon sighed. And then explained.

* * *

Lexi kept her eyes on the road, glancing in the back seat only every few minutes. The Bennett witches were facing each other with their eyes closed, hands clasped together. Bonnie was leading in a whispered chant of Latin, and they were seemingly closed off from the rest of the world.

Lexi's hands clenched on the wheel.

She hoped and prayed that this worked and they got Klaus down and burying for a long, long time, and that when they got Stephanie back, it was in one piece. Because there was no doubt in her mind, Lexi would get her best friend back, but the question was how would she handle the pain and guilt when she did? Would it be so horrifying that she simply shut it off with a stronger wall next time? Would she do something drastic like injuring herself?

Her eyes darted back to the witches again. Lexi wondered about Expression and how close the Originals had been to controlling it centuries ago. Kol, one of the youngest Originals, seemed very focused on it, desired both its power and Bonnie. Lexi knew Bonnie would be able to handle herself around him, would be able to kill him if necessary.

But Lexi hoped it wouldn't come to that; she remembered tales from her own Sire about the vampire that had turned him, and sometimes Lexi thought that the description matched Kol . . .

But Lexi might never know, so it was just best not to let any of the Originals die. Just . . . quell the most dangerous ones. Maybe they would need to dagger Rebekah; she was closest to Klaus and would no doubt desire revenge. However, Lexi knew going down that line of thinking would require them to dagger all of the Originals, and even Lexi felt squeamish about backstabbing those who were helping them.

They would have to come up with something soon though, she knew.

In the backseat, Bonnie and her mother both exclaimed with surprise; Lexi turned and saw that some CDs and tissues were floating.

"Abby, you're doing it!"

Lexi's eyes cut back to the road and she felt her lips pulling into a victorious smile.

Klaus would be subdued within days.

And they would all be free.


	10. dance on our graves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So they dug your grave  
> and the masquerade  
> will come calling out  
> at the mess you made."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any of characters/quotes associated with it. Also, I am sorry that the chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I figured you'd like something after a month of waiting. Hopefully the next will come sooner!

"So, where'd Little Gilbert go?"

Kol's curiosity was endless and so naturally, the first thing he'd noticed when walking into the Salvatore Boarding House was the absence of Elena Gilbert's too-intense little brother. Everyone else from their little gang was there: Damon Salvatore, Elena, that perky blonde vampire Caroline, the snarky blonde vampire Lexi, some strange human boy that had yet to be named and a dark haired girl whose back was to him, and of course, the Bennett witches. Finn stood unobtrusively in the corner, straight backed and blank faced as usual, hands behind his back.

As he stepped farther into the room, it was clear that Kol had entered upon an argument.

Elena was standing to next to Damon and together, they looked determined and undefeatable to the average person. However, Kol saw the cracks as Elena explained her brother's whereabouts defensively. "He's somewhere safe in case this blows up in our faces." Her tone indicated that she thought that was a highly likely possibility.

Kol's lips curled into a grin. "So you had your boy toy compel him away, did you?"

While Elena spluttered and Damon glowered at him, Kol swung his gaze around towards the Mummy Bennett and her darling spitfire daughter, Bonnie. They were working quietly together in their own little bubble of magic and Kol was entranced. When he was a child, he'd been uninterested in his mother's and Finn's intense magic lessons, but as he'd grown older, Kol had found himself engrossed in it. The study was boring at first, but later he found that it was perhaps the only thing he'd ever applied himself to.

The argument started up behind him again, and so Kol diverted his attention between it and the witches.

"I can't believe you brought  _her_ ," The one called Caroline snapped accusingly.

"She's on our side, Care," The unknown male replied back calmly, "and she knows things that could help us."

"Like what?" Damon sneered, "Nothing Lexi or I couldn't tell you, I'm sure. Besides that, Anna is a bitch and a sneak."

"It's not that we don't like her – you," Elena was speaking quickly, her eyes wavering between her friend and his girl, "And your relationship is – whatever." She waved her hands, to Kol's amusement, attempting to encompass the two humans' relationship. "It's just that Faye is the one that brought her –you back, so we can't really trust her yet. I'm sorry, Matt. Anna."

Kol prowled towards them, his curiosity sparked. "What has happened now, kids?"

Damon shot him a cocky look. "Nothing we can't handle. So scoot on back to Big Brother, now."

"It's really none of your business anyway," Caroline snapped.

"Clearly is does if it has the possibility of affecting our plan. And I'm not taking any chances of this plan being affected," Kol interjected smoothly and then ducked around Damon to get a look at the dark headed girl and her blonde bodyguard. "Kol Mikaelson," He introduced winningly.

"Charmed," Anna muttered distastefully. Kol's eyes swept the vampire; she was a little taller than Stephanie, and she had tumbling black hair that fell over her shoulders. She was pale – like most vampires – and her makeup she'd applied was dark; she had on heavy eyeliner and mascara. She was in a dark jacket (like most of the people it Mystic Falls, it seemed) and was wearing high boots and dark jeans. Kol was reminded of a term Rebekah had once muttered around him: Goth.

"What's the problem with . . . Anna was it?" Kol stopped his inspection to leer at the girl.

"Faye Chamberlain brought her back from the dead a bit ago, so you'll have to forgive us if we're not entirely sure of her allegiance," Damon said sourly, "She could be a spy."

"We have no problem with the fact you're dating her," Elena hurried to explain to the blonde fellow again, "But we just don't want to trust her with  _the plan_  yet."

"I'm not spying for Faye," Anna rolled her eyes and Kol got the impression that she had stated this multiple times. Which, yes, would become irritating; Kol thought this lot was just a bunch of bumbling idiots who didn't know what the hell they were doing half of the time.

"Why doesn't one of you compel her and find out if she's lying?" Kol rolled his eyes at the glaringly obvious simplicity.

"I drink vervain," Anna deadpanned, "How dumb do you think I am? This is Mystic Falls."

"Pretty dumb if you're still living here, sweetheart," Kol smirked.

"Hey!" The blonde jock shouted, one of his hands curling protectively around the vampire's tiny waist. The thought of  _him_ keeping  _her_ out of danger was laughable to Kol, and he felt a smirk settling on his lips.

"I'm sorry, what was your name again? I can't talk to someone and continue to call them 'dumb jock' in my head," Kol waved a hand like the issue of names was a mere pesky inconvenience; which, to Kol, undoubtedly were most of the time. After all, who needed to know their food's names?

"It's Jockstrap," Damon corrected mildly and Elena smacked him almost absentmindedly.

Finn, the adult he was, finally decided to intervene before there was any actual bloodshed. Spoilsport.

"We need to pick up the pace and cease the incessant and useless squabbling," Finn's brows were furrowed deep into his forehead, which was a clear sign of his anger that was simmering just below the surface. "I do not care that this 'Anna' is here, as long as someone keeps an eye on her so that she doesn't report back to my brother if she is indeed a spy. As soon as the Ms. Bennett and Miss Bennett finish cementing their temporary magical link, they'll put the first enchantments onto the coffin. Then we will commence the plan."

Finn turned to Kol. "Brother. Did you bring your casket?"

Kol waved a hand dismissively, even as his lips pulled up into a delighted smile. "It's in the back of the pick-up truck I took, ready for Niklaus' hybrid bum to lay in for the next seventy years at least."

"More than that," Finn muttered to himself and then nodded efficiently.

"We're ready," Bonnie's voice rang out across the living room, drawing the rest of the group's attention to the witches once again. "We can start the spells."

"Good," Finn said grimly, "Kol, bring the coffin inside. I'll leave to gather Niklaus." His eyes swept the rest of the huddle. "Make yourselves scarce until I need extra strength to subdue my brother. Keep an eye on Miss Anna."

Kol clapped his hands, excitement building up within him. Revenge was sweet, but also usually a dish best served cold. However, he wasn't willing to wait for much longer, so cool would have to do.

* * *

The paintbrush in Klaus' hand was like an old friend; it was familiar and  _his._ It also knew where to go and what to paint with just a little direction – like most of Klaus' old "friends". The face that it was creating was also familiar; to Klaus and to this particular paintbrush.

He kept his gaze and attention riveted to the canvas in front of him as the painting began to take shape and come to life beneath his fingertips. His subject was standing in front of the balcony's open door; the wind was wafting a cool breeze inside that blew back the silk curtains and his subject's long brown hair.

She had on hardly a stitch of clothing, wearing only her under things, and Klaus noticed her suppressing a shiver at the cool air. He could feel goose bumps rising on his arms and legs, having even less covering him than his lover. The paintbrush continued to stroke across the canvas and Klaus remembered his own dexterous fingers gliding across her shoulders the night before. His eyes almost slid closed.

"I have a question."

He kept his eyes open, but Klaus didn't look up from the painting. He hummed.

"Why do you want to stay in Mystic Falls?" He could imagine her calculating eyes and her puckered rosy lips as she thought out his motivations. Another breeze floated in, carrying with it the smells of the neighboring forest.

"The reason I told Damon; I was here first," Klaus said slyly with a wink and picked up another brush to add a different color. It – the brush – was delicate and therefore needed a gentler touch.

"You were diverting him," Stephanie said drily, and then her voice turned shrewd again. "It's quite a turnaround from not even three days ago when you were plotting to leave town with Rebekah and I. Maybe even having Tyler as a tag along."

At that, Klaus looked up, surprised. "Oh?" Really, he shouldn't be startled by Stephanie's astuteness; she was rather clever and devious. Most people missed that, but not Klaus. Not usually, anyway.

She hummed and twisted.

"Don't move," Klaus warned her sharply and she slowly moved back into place, teasing.

"You think very loudly and you wear your emotions on your sleeve when you think you're safe, which isn't often," Stephanie elaborated, "in addition to the fact that you were plotting all of this right after we'd just had sex and exchanged blood; I could still feel the lingering touches and thoughts of your mind."

To that, Klaus had nothing to say, so he refused to say anything. He went back to his painting and tried to force his self to concentrate.

"You can't have changed your mind so quickly," Stephanie said idly, seemingly to herself; she was fishing but Klaus wouldn't fall for it.

"Maybe I did," Klaus snapped and worked a little faster, the brush strokes sharp and angrier.

"Or maybe you decided that for some reason, you needed more hybrids," Steph deadpanned. "So, of course, you need Elena's blood, and therein lay the need to stay close or at least close enough that you can have easy access to her for as long as you think you need."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Klaus said flatly.

"The only thing I don't understand is your motivation," Stephanie continued as if Klaus hadn't even spoken, her brows arched sharply, "Why? You have everything you've ever wanted; Mikael is gone and your family is with you."

"You forgot something, love," Klaus muttered. "I've got you for forever now."

"How romantic," Stephanie deadpanned, "But that doesn't-"

"Niklaus." Both Klaus and Steph turned their heads to the door of Klaus' room and saw Finn standing, silhouetted in the doorway. Klaus couldn't help but thank his brother's timing as it kept him from having to explain further. However, Klaus took in Finn's impassive features in the face of their near nudity, and thought maybe it might have been better if he'd knocked first. "I have a need to speak with you." Finn's eyes cut to Stephanie pointedly. "Alone."

"Steph can step out for a bit," Klaus offered and stood. He smirked as Finn's eyes averted.

"No," Finn said a little sharply, "I need to speak with you  _alone._  Meet me in front of the house, and dear God, put some clothes on before you do it." He turned on his heel and shut the door soundly behind his self, letting it click loudly.

Stephanie and Klaus' exchanged glances with arched brows. "Better do as he says; Finn sounded like he meant business," Steph said, amused.

Klaus waved a hand and rolled his eyes. "Something of the utmost importance, I'm sure." He the leered, "Don't get dressed; I'll be back." They stepped towards each other, hands finding familiar spots on hips and necks, and they shared a passionate, lingering kiss. "I'll be back," Klaus repeated.

"I know." Her smirk dropped. "And we'll continue this discussion then."

Klaus only rolled his eyes as he darted away.

.

.

.

Finn and Klaus ran a good distance away from the house, far enough that Klaus began to recognize some of the landscape close to the Salvatore's Boarding House. They deftly maneuvered between the large, leafy trees, and over the thick underbrush. Klaus slowed to a stop, forcing Finn to pause with him.

"I think this is a sufficient distance," Klaus waved a hand lazily about him. His eyes settled on his older brother and he crossed his arms, intensely suspicious. "So. What  _is_  it that was so important you had to drag me away from my art?"

Finn's eyes were unexpressive, as were the rest of his features. His body language didn't reveal anything either, except for an extra dose of stiffness, maybe. Interesting. "I needed to ask you a question."

"What's with all of the questions today?" Klaus smirked but his curiosity was piqued and he tapped his dexterous fingers along his elbow.

"I would like to know what reasoning went behind the decision to incarcerate me into a wooden tomb for nearly nine centuries." Finn was utterly serious, which was normal, but there was something furtive in his eyes. Something . . . distrustful.

Klaus prowled around him like a caged animal. "That's it? You pried me away to ask me  _that_?" He scoffed.

"Niklaus," Finn's voice was low and there was a clear warning in it. "Please." Klaus paused at that, unconsciously stiffening, even as his brows climbed higher in surprise at the pleading tone.

Klaus thought back to their childhood in Mystic Falls, long before it was actually named that, and recalled being the middle child left out of everything, recalled having impossible brothers to live up to; Elijah, the oldest and most clever; and Finn, second oldest and the clear favorite of both of his parents. The special one, the one gifted with strong magic. He remembered the abuse from Mikael and Elijah's attempts to stop it; remembered Esther only turning away. He remembered  _Finn_  turning away, keeping blind and deaf to Klaus' pain filled screams. Even with all of his magical training at their mother's heel, Finn had stood by . . . and done nothing.

Klaus' smile was shark like, with all pointed teeth. "I was bored and angry at Father, and you were an easy target. A reachable outlet for my heightened emotions, that's all. I used you to release the horrible tedium that my vampire life was at that point. And you fulfilled your purpose."

Finn's eyes shuttered for half a second as he looked away. When he turned back, they were full of steel. "I thank you for enlightening me, Niklaus."

"You're welcome." Klaus was done humoring his brother, "Now, if you'll excuse me . . ."

"I don't think you should be excused," A voice behind him snapped and suddenly there were hands on his neck, squeezing. Klaus knew it to be Kol in an instant.

"What is this?" Klaus roared and ripped his younger brother off of his shoulders, throwing him onto his back in the dirt. Klaus strode over to his younger brother and roughly stood a heavy booted foot in the center of Kol's chest.

"Revenge is a bitch," Kol snapped and Klaus pressed him into the dirt.

He leant down to hiss obscenities at him when Klaus suddenly felt . . . very tired. Lethargic. His vision doubled and then blurred at the edges, making him stumble backwards and release Kol.

"What . . . are . . . you . . . doing . . . to me?" Every word was an obstacle that took all of his energy. Klaus sank to his knees, panting. Out of his peripheral vision, he could see Lexi Branson driving a pickup truck with a large wooden coffin in the bed. The trees swirled around him and all of the forest chatter seemed to heighten exponentially, making his hears ring.

"Putting you down like the dog you are," Bonnie Bennett snapped as she stepped out of the trees, arms raised in front of her body. Another black woman was at her side, deep in concentration as she helped perform the spell holding him down. They stood shoulder to shoulder, a united front against Klaus while Finn and Kol just stood there, watching.

"Let me . . . go!" Klaus intended to scream, but his demand spilled from his lips like a desperate whimper.

"Not happening, dick," Damon Salvatore breathed into Klaus' ear, "Not when I'm this close to getting back my sister and my town from your control." When had he arrived? Damon Salvatore was pest and a nuisance that Klaus wanted to be rid of for the rest of eternity. Klaus snarled, but Damon's booted foot came down and shoved the Hybrid onto his chest in the dirt. Ironic, considering Klaus' move not five minutes ago towards his own brother. Klaus spat out a mouthful of grime.

"I have to . . . release the . . . compulsion . . . myself," Klaus huffed, turning laughing eyes onto the Salvatore.

"Finn can do it," Damon denied venomously, "Like Elijah released Jeremy from your compulsion a year ago. Not so high and might now, are you?"

"I'm . . . so much stronger . . . now," Klaus gritted through clenched teeth, pain from the Bennett witches hitting him, "I'm the Hybrid. And anyway . . . do you really . . . think I put . . . much effort into . . . Jeremy Gilbert's . . . compulsion?"

Damon's face was impassive, but his normally icy blue eyes were blazing with fierce anger and malice.

Klaus laughed in his face. "You'll . . . never get her back . . . if I'm six feet under."

"I'll have to take my chances," Damon spat and then Klaus became disoriented as Finn and Kol picked him up by the arms, dragging him backwards through the soil to the pickup truck several feet away. His long legs left trails in the ground, his body trailing dead weight.

"Have fun in hell," Lexi snapped as he was shoved into the soft bedding of what he recognized as Kol's previous resting place. The Bennett witches came forwards, arms raised and their murmuring turning into chanting. Real panic began to fill Klaus for the first time since his ordeal had started; he could sense the magic in the air, the powerful spirits gathering their power to put down the big bad of the world.

"You can't kill me! I'm the Hybrid! Me! I'm the Hybrid!" Klaus roared as his strength started to come back, flooding his limbs, "You can't stop me!" Finn's face slid into view and Klaus snarled, "Why this betrayal, brother?! I released you!"

Finn's eyes narrowed. "'I was bored and you were a convenient outlet.'" And then the lid of the coffin slid shut, locking out all clean air and light; Klaus felt the very moment that it was sealed by magic; all sound and light was shut off, like a switch. And he was alone.

Klaus

Was

Alone.

He felt the coffin being jarred and then he was free falling –

Landing at the bottom of a hole with a loud and shuddering  _plunk_!

"No," Klaus breathed, "No! NO!  _I'm the_ _ **Hybrid**_ _!_  You can't kill me!" He screamed himself hoarse, using his fists to bang on the lid of his coffin until his hands were bloody.

But no one heard him.

* * *

Sometimes, in the depths of Stephanie's mind, she felt her old self banging on the walls, ratting in her cage, screaming and  _burning_  to free herself from Klaus' compulsion and this parody of Stephanie's self, the Ripper. But the Ripper would stifle these feelings, pushing them back until they were only whispers instead of shouts. In the moments where Stephanie felt her humanity rushing towards the surface, a voice that sounded like Nik halted it, and her humanity would crawl back until it was just another memory.

Stephanie turned from the window, eager to leave the introspection behind. She heard Elijah moving about downstairs and Rebekah and Faye in the blonde's room. Klaus was still gone, along with Finn, and Stephanie had no idea, nor the desire, to keep track of Kol's whereabouts.

Stephanie wandered away from the window, advancing towards the canvas sitting in the center of the room with Klaus' brushes and paint lying still in the tray and on the ground respectively. She eyed the piece of art critically, but found little that she disliked. In fact, Stephanie often admired his work, and if her humanity was on, she knew she might enjoy it even more. Her thoughts danced around the recent painting Klaus had bestowed on her and she shied away from the memory; her thoughts would oft zoom in on the portion of the painting that she showed her weak, bowed in sorrow as her humanity rushed back in. It was an unpleasant reminder of what was waiting for her when or if she ever found herself with her humanity and emotions and  _guilt_ again.

Stephanie heard Kol open and shut the front door, and then flash up the stairs to his bedroom. That door shut loudly, and then the sounds of rapid packing caught her attention. Curious, Stephanie slipped on a pair of jeans and a red blouse, leaving her and Klaus' bedroom to see what the commotion was all about.

She opened the heavy wooden door and leaned against the doorjamb, eyes raking critically over the backpack and the hastily thrown clothes around it and the large four poster bed. Kol was flying around the room, whistling a jaunty tune under his breath.

"What's the hurry?" Stephanie drawled and her voice seemed loud in the quiet of the mansion.

Kol didn't flinch and didn't even pause as he shot her a quick grin. "Leaving for a couple of days."

"Hot date?"

Kol smirked. "Nope. But I'm sure you'll be glad of my absence when you hear the news." His voice was infuriatingly evasive.

Stephanie's curiosity was burning within her. "What happened now? Don't tell me Elena got herself killed and now Klaus is on another rampage." The old Stephanie rattled against her cage with her own mind at the mere thought of Elena's death, while the Ripper hushed her.

Kol's smirk only grew. "The irony of your statement there is bringing tears to my eyes. Ta for now, Stephanie." He deftly kissed her hand and then shot out of the mansion like the hounds of hell were after him. Steph stared after him, mystified. Rebekah stepped out into the hall a moment later, looking aggravated.

"What was that racket? Kol needs to stop making so much noise; he's not the only one who lives here," She snapped shrilly. Her blonde hair was long and flowing down her back, and her lips were pursed angrily.

Stephanie shrugged. "He says he's gone out for a few days. Probably to slaughter the next town over." Her throat burned at the mere thought of blood.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "I hope he says gone, then. He's such a pain in the arse." The blonde Original's face cleared a moment later. "Would you like to go shopping with me and Faye later?"

The idea of being confined in a store with so many humans and yet too busy toting around Rebekah's bags to actually get a meal was not alluring. "No thanks."

Rebekah pouted. "We don't spend much time together anymore. Please?"

"How about we go hunting instead?" Stephanie offered hopefully. Klaus was always her first choice of a hunting partner, but he was still out with Finn, unfortunately.

"We could go to Atlanta . . ." Rebekah was clearly drawn to the idea, Stephanie could tell from the way her blue eyes lit up. "Find some clubs . . . and then we could go shopping." She nodded her head decidedly. "Yes, that's a lovely idea, Stephanie." She smiled and then flounced back to her room and Faye, probably to get her to agree to come as well. Stephanie frowned, irritated to be roped into a shopping trip after all.

Well, after a couple of stores to appease Rebekah and to find a new jacket, Steph would have to slip away and then find Nik for some  _real_ fun.

The front door opened and closed again, and this time it was Finn slipping through. Stephanie went down the stairs to confirm, but frowned when she saw Klaus not present. Finn strode towards her with purpose in his stride and his face was clear of little emotion except for a single spark of . . . something in his eyes. Relief? Excitement? Finn was a difficult person to read at the best of times.

"Finn? Where's Klaus?" Stephanie asked shortly, brows arched. She didn't really care for Finn; he was a bit of stick in the mud and therefore a reminder of Steph before . . . before. Finn's strides didn't lessen and when he reached her, his hand shot out and clamped down on her neck, shoving her back against the wooden paneled wall. Hard. Her ears rang and her skull throbbed.

Stephanie choked, "What are you doing?" Her hands scrabbled for purchase on Finn's strong arms, but he was an immobile statue.

"Fulfilling my end of the bargain with your friends," Finn said flatly.

"What? What bargain?" Stephanie hissed and she raked her finger nails along Finn's hands, but besides a sharp twitch, he didn't react.

"Bonnie Bennett helped me carry out a plan to remove Klaus from our lives for a time, hopefully many years, and therefore I promised I would attempt to break my brother's hold on you," Finn stated matter of fact.

"No! What did you do to Klaus?" She snarled, even as the locked down part of her mind screamed in relief. "What did you do to Nik?"

"Finn? What is this?" Rebekah. Stephanie tried to move her head to look, but Finn's hold on her was bruising and unbreakable. "Finn!"

" _Stephanie Salvatore,"_  Finn took no notice of his sister, " _I hereby override -"_

Finn was suddenly and violently ripped off of Steph, and the smaller vampire fell to the floor with a thud. Her hands rose to caress her pale neck and Steph's green eyes darted up to watch Rebekah snarling at Finn, and Elijah joining them a moment later.

"So this is why Kol left? He was involved in this too?" Rebekah demanded sharply.

"Where is our brother, Finn?" Elijah asked calmly.

Finn's dark eyes regarded Stephanie and then went back to his siblings. "Do think to tell Damon I apologize for being unable to carry out my end of the bargain." He flashed away, leaving only dust in his wake.

"The hell was that?" Stephanie croaked and she massaged her throat. She stood a moment later, moving to stand by Rebekah and Elijah. She heard a creaking on the stairs, and they were joined shortly by Faye Chamberlain.

"I heard the commotion," She drawled. "Trouble, then?"

"This is upsetting," Elijah muttered, almost to himself. He looked to Faye, "You are our most trusted witch acquaintance, Miss Chamberlain. If you wouldn't mind, it would be kind if you could try a locating spell on Niklaus?"

"Of course she will," Rebekah snapped and then looked towards the amused witch with chagrin. "Well, won't you?"

Stephanie waited with a bated breath.

"Let me get my magic wand and broomstick and we'll see what I can do," Faye finally said drily.

* * *

Kol took his backpack of clothes and found his way over to the little witch's house. She and her mother were there in the living room together, the curtains drawn open and the light on; all of this gave the Original the perfect view of his favorite Bennett.

She was grinning, her white teeth a startling contrast from her dark, mocha skin. She was happier, Kol could see, with her mother around. Her magic flourished with the presence of another witch, which attracted Kol even more. Just the thought of being around that magical pull all the time twisted sharply in Kol's gut.

The witch's eyes darted away from her mother and met the Original vampire's for a few seconds. The curtains were closed by a spell a moment later, concealing the Bennett family once more. Kol smirked, hiked his backpack up further onto his shoulder, and went back to the Boarding House and his temporary teammates.

On his way over though, he ran into Finn.

"Where are you off to, brother?" Kol asked extravagantly, spreading his arms wide in the dark street. Finn stood a few paces away from him, face grim.

"I am leaving to find Sage," Finn said and Kol saw a rare smile, but it quickly faded, "Elijah and Rebekah are quite cross, and I imagine that eventually they will dig up Klaus."

"Then why did you go through all the trouble?" Kol wanted to know. True, he'd desired revenge, but well, Klaus was a powerful hybrid (whether Kol wanted to admit it or not). And Klaus was a vindictive bastard and would eventually come calling for vengeance.

Finn looked at him dead in the eyes. "Even if Niklaus spends a week in that coffin, he will have at least suffered a fraction of what I – we – endured. And that, my brother, makes it worth all the trouble."

Kol was impressed despite himself and let it show on his face. "I didn't know you had the potential to be so vicious."

Finn tilted his head a fraction of an inch. "You would not, would you?" Kol puzzled over that for a moment, but then Finn continued, "Tell Damon Salvatore that I was unable to fulfill my part of our deal; Stephanie remains under Niklaus' compulsion and still resides with my family. Tell him I wish him the best of luck. Family is everything, after all," He said ironically and then inclined his head. Finn whisked away, leaving Kol standing in the street by himself.

Kol puckered his lips and then leisurely made his way over to the Salvatore Boarding House. When he got there, found that Matt and Anna were gone already, the little Gilbert was still missing, and the vampire hunter, Alaric Saltzman, was nowhere to be seen. The remaining ones were the love birds: Damon and Elena, and the two blondes: Caroline and Lexi.

"We have to do something for your birthday tomorrow," Elena was saying to Caroline quietly, apparently trying to be chipper. "Hopefully Stephanie will be able to join us."

"I'm afraid  _that's_  not going to happen," Kol drawled and then grinned when the room's occupants jumped, startled.

Damon stood and rolled his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means Finn failed and then bailed," Kol shrugged and then took a bottle of whiskey and poured himself a tumbler. The room burst into raucous noise and Damon snarled at either Kol taking his alcohol or Kol giving them bad news. In Kol's short acquaintance of the other vampire, he'd come to learn that either was equally likely. "Yeah, I mean he tried," Kol explained, enjoying the show the MF crew was putting on, "but Bex and Elijah got the better of him, I imagine. And Rebekah's girlfriend is hanging around . . . and you know how Faye is. He's lucky he got out of town at all, really. Went to go find his girlfriend. I wonder if she's moved on in the last nine centuries."

Lexi jabbed a finger into Kol's chest. "If your brother's on the run, why aren't you? You were a part of the plan too."

"Well, yes," Kol allowed, "but Finn was the mastermind, though come to think of it, they won't consider that distinction." When the group didn't budge, he arched his brows and continued, "And I actually would rather hang around and watch the show, really; which isn't to say that they'll want me around, so I think I'll be staying around here for a bit until they cool off."

Damon and Elena protested loudly, and Caroline glowered.

"Well, you can just break Stephanie's compulsion instead," Lexi told him coolly.

"Can't."

"Why the hell not?" Caroline demanded angrily, taking a step forwards.

Kol arched his brows incredulously, "You think  _I_ can get pass Elijah and Rebekah and their pet witch?  _That's_ laughable. I think your friend is doomed to a forever with Klaus." He took a swig of his whiskey.

"You're hanging around anyway, you might as well just keep an eye out for an opportunity," Elena suggested, grasping desperately at straws. "Snatch and compel."

Damon glared at that, but didn't dispute. "Well?"

Kol pretended to think about it. "Well . . ." A cursory glance told him that they were not impressed. "Since I am staying anyway," Kol smirked, "I suppose I can make an attempt to break the compulsion when your friend is unattended." The group still appeared wary, but they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

This is going to be fun, Kol thought. Without his permission, his thoughts drifted back to Bonnie Bennett and Expression and his fingertips tingled. Yes, with him at the Boarding House, he'd probably see more of her and her magic.

He grinned at the prospect.

* * *

Stephanie ravaged the next town over, draining her victims with a particular brand of savagery that she hadn't used in months. No man or woman she drank from that evening was left intact; all were decapitated in a fit of rage and Stephanie barely paused long enough between each kill to gather their names. Rebekah was with her for part of the time, just as mean and vicious, if much cleaner about her kills; there was not a drop of blood on the blonde Original. They were like two avenging angels as they prowled the streets, snapping necks of men who so much as leered at them.

Elijah was in Mystic Falls with Faye as she used a tracking spell to find where their very own Scooby Gang had put Klaus out of commission, and they'd been at it all night and were surely still working now, well into the morning.

Blood slid down Stephanie's throat and her fangs gnashed and tore through the muscular man's neck, severing his head from the rest of his body. When his blood was completely depleted, Steph dropped him. Her own bloody hands came up to her own throat, where she gently touched the place where she'd had a ring of bruises from Finn's rough treatment.

"What's the matter?" Rebekah slurred as she came into the alleyway, blonde hair askew but otherwise unsoiled. She was drunk on blood and alcohol, but somehow managed to stay upright.

"Nothing at all," Stephanie sniffed and looked distastefully at the body at her feet. Rebekah stumbled and messed around with her bag she'd brought with her, and then tossed Stephanie a lighter.

"Get rid of the bodies, please," Rebekah slurred, and Steph arched a brow, but didn't question her friend. She lit the man on fire and together with Rebekah, walked away from the carnage and placed an anonymous tip to the police station that there was a fire in the street from unknown causes.

Stephanie's phone rang and using vampire speed, she answered. "Did you find him?"

"Yes," Elijah's professional tones soothed, "Can you be here before I leave?"

"Give us the coordinates and we'll meet you there," Stephanie negotiated firmly and Elijah acquiesced. "Thanks." She slipped the phone into her pocket and she and Rebekah immediately took off back to Mystic Falls.

.

.

.

"Well?"

They met Elijah and Faye in an empty meadow that was ringed with trees. There was nothing there but recently unearthed dirt, which even on its own was suspicious, never mind the circumstances.

Faye pointed downwards and to the small hill of dirt. "They buried him alive. I'm sensing some strong magic keeping him contained, so while I'm sure you'll be able to dig him up, I won't be able to open the container that they put him."

"Why not?" Stephanie demanded harshly, "You're one of the strongest witches we know."

Faye only shrugged. "Bonnie Bennett found a way. Either she joined a coven recently or a blood relative – a mother or father, maybe grandparent – showed up in just the nick of time. I can't do anything right now."

"What do you need to open the casket?" Elijah asked, his eyes meeting Faye's pointedly. "Assuming they did use a casket; it would be the kind irony that Finn appreciates if it were. You may use anything at my own disposal to help release Klaus."

"The only that's going to be strong enough to break this is if I get my own mother to help perform this spell," Faye said wryly and Steph's fists clenched, "or I call down my entire coven to help release him. Neither of which is a likely outcome for  _very_ different reasons."

"Bonnie's not a part of a coven," Stephanie explained when Elijah and Rebekah looked at her, "and her father is business man. Her mother's been absent, so it was probably her who helped Bonnie."

"That explains how she did it, but not how  _we're_ going to do it," Rebekah snapped and turned flashing eyes back to Faye, "Can you try to make your coven comply? If not, we'll have to search for another coven of witches to try the spell."

"You'll have even less luck with anyone else," Faye replied, unconcerned, "so I'll call my cousin and see what I can do."

.

.

.

tbc


	11. it's a revolution, i suppose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A constellation of tears on your lashes  
> Burn everything you love, then burn the ashes  
> In the end everything collides  
> My childhood spat back out the monster that you see
> 
> My songs know what you did in the dark."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes used borrowed. I do not own the Secret Circle any of L.J. Smith's concepts on the magical binding of soul mates mentioned.
> 
> Warnings: Minor crossover with L.J. Smith's The Secret Circle trilogy. I don't think there are any spoilers for the books, but you never know. Also, I mention and explain "soulmates", but the kind that L.J. Smith used in both The Secret Circle and The Night World series. No spoilers for the Night World either, besides the soulmate principle.
> 
> Note: This chapter is kind of choppy and jumpy, so I apologize ahead of time. The next chapter should be less so.

Bonnie, sitting at the kitchen table alone, mused on her mother, her father, and the boy her mother had taken in as a son. Her father was out of town on business, as usual, and so had no idea that Abbey Bennett was back in town for an indeterminable period of time, living in his house with their daughter. Jamie, the teenager –almost man, really – Abbey was taking care of, was still in the little farmhouse that they'd lived in for the last few years. Internally, Bonnie knew that Abbey would leave Mystic Falls again, even if only to go back to him, for him. It was a difficult thing to swallow without being bitter.

She drank a little of the coffee she'd made, grimacing at the bitter aftertaste, and then looked at the clock – it was nearing afternoon and was a Saturday; she'd probably need to start some homework soon. Bonnie barked a short laugh and put her face in her hands; she was a teenage witch who had just put an immortal vampire – werewolf hybrid into the ground with her mother and she still had to do such a menial task as  _homework?_

"I wonder if Mr. Saltzman would accept an excuse of the hybrid ate my homework," Bonnie said drily to herself, peeking between her fingers down at her ceramic mug of coffee that read World's Best Dad. The idea (both the excuse and the words on the cup) was almost ludicrous and the few giggles that followed couldn't be helped.

"Who's that, Bonnie?"

Bonnie stifled her giggles, which wasn't hard, as her mother entered the kitchen. Bonnie didn't look as she replied shortly, "My History teacher."

"Well, if you've got some work, you probably ought to start it," Abbey started almost hesitantly, still unsure of her place in her daughter's life. She awkwardly hovered over Bonnie's shoulder and the younger witch felt the hesitation in her mother's every movement. It hurt.

Bonnie brushed off the feeling and snorted. "Yeah, probably." She stood and pushed her chair in. "I'm going to go out, alright Mom? I'll be back in a bit and I promise I'll do my report then."

"Be careful," Abbey said sternly as Bonnie passed and grabbed her purse before heading out the front door.

"Sure, Mom," Bonnie murmured, but the front door was already clicking shut and she was down the steps and on the sidewalk by the time she opened her mouth to reassure her. She didn't look back behind her as she left.

"Are you having trouble in paradise, doll?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and set her mouth into a firm line. Her fingers tightened around her bag. "What do you want, Kol?"

"To use the present time period's vernacular," Kol Mikaelson drawled in his alto voiced accent, "'I want to hang out with you.'"

"Last time we talked," Bonnie pointed out harshly with a single arched brow, "You tried to talk me into performing a kind of magic that required sacrifices," She stressed, " _Human_ sacrifices."

"And I see you still haven't told your mother about that," Kol pointed out cheekily, "I think that indicates something telling, don't you think?"

"Go to hell," Bonnie said flatly and she sped up, fingers tightening around the strap of her purse.

Kol only smirked. "Not yet, darling. So, where are we going?"

" _I'm_ going to go to the Grill," Bonnie snapped and stopped in the sidewalk, whirling around to face the Original vampire. She pointed a finger into his chest, jabbing him there to get her point across. " _You_ are going to go home or do whatever it is you do when you're not eating or destroying others' lives."

"Come on, pet," Kol poked at her, "Hang out with me; we'll braid each other's hair – I'll even paint your nails."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Why do you even want to me use Expression, anyway? All that would achieve is making your enemy stronger. It's not very logical."

"Who said we're enemies?" Kol side-stepped the question and stopped her with a cool, pale hand on her elbow in the middle of the sidewalk, his voice deadly serious. She noticed his hands were soft and his nails were perfectly manicured.

"You're an Original vampire," Bonnie hissed, "an abomination of nature. You kill for fun. We will  _always_ be enemies." She spun around on her heel and stomped away, leaving Kol's sudden, and hair-raising, laughter behind her.

"You'll change your tune eventually," Kol hollered after her, "Expression will prove to be too much of a temptation!"

"Never," Bonnie swore under her breath.

* * *

"I have an idea."

Caroline hummed in response, tilting her head to show she was listening as she shuffled the things around in her purse, searching for her house keys. She had stayed the night at the Salvatore Boarding House the previous night and was glad to be home. Lexi had come with her, pronouncing that she had something she wanted to discuss with the other blonde.

The two vampires had grown close in the time that their mutual friend was . . . absent, and they got along well. However, the past few weeks, Lexi had started becoming antsy and Caroline knew it had something to do with her boyfriend/life partner that she had left behind to wait for her while she "dealt" with things in Mystic Falls. Somehow, Caroline didn't think Lexi had ever imagined it would have taken this long to rescue Stephanie.

"Yeah, what about?" Caroline asked and then found her key, "Ah ha!" She plunged it into the keyhole and stepped inside her home, Lexi just a step behind her. Sheriff Forbes liked the older girl and she'd been invited in a few weeks previously.

"Tyler's sire bond."

Caroline's eyes darted up immediately and landed on Lexi's serious face. "Wha-what?" The two blondes convened in the kitchen, huddling at the table. "You know how to break the sire bond?" Caroline demanded and her big blue eyes wide and her hands were fluttering around her mouth in surprise.

"I have an idea," Lexi confirmed with a sharp nod, "but Tyler has to agree."

Caroline nodded rapidly. "Then let's go find him."

* * *

Alaric sat with Meredith in the Mystic Grille, having the most fun with a woman since Isobel. She was charming and beautiful, and had a quick wit to boot; he might have been falling in love.

"Do you want anything else?" He waved a hand to vaguely encompass the bar behind them.

"Huh, I'd love one," Meredith sighed a little mournfully and her large brown eyes met Rick's, "but I have rounds to make tonight and a drunken doctor . . . is a bad doctor."

"Well, I guess that depends on what kind of drunk you are," Alaric corrected with a quick grin as his hands clasped on his knees beneath the table.

"Angry," Meredith laughed and something in Alaric warmed. She sat back and put her hands on the table. "Well, thanks for lunch."

"Yeah, sure," Alaric said quickly and they both stood, "So, um, next time . . . dinner?"

A smile formed itself on Meredith's face as she shrugged on her purse, "Yeah. That sounds great."

"Cool. Take care."

"Thanks." She disappeared into the lunch crowd, leaving Rick alone for a moment, though her space was quickly filled by a smirking Damon Salvatore.

He jerked a thumb at the doctor, "Look who it was." He wiggled his brows suggestively.

"Don't start, Damon," Rick rolled his eyes. Of course, he should have expected Damon to come and tease him about dating someone again.

"So, have you found out what her damage is yet?" Damon asked nonchalantly as he took a seat across from Rick's previous place. Alaric sighed and plunked back down in his chair.

"What damage? There is no damage to speak of and I don't know why you would think so," Alaric snapped, irrationally angry.

Damon rolled his eyes, unaffected. "Come on, Rick, come back to the real world; a girl that hot and that smart? There's damage. Plus she was super creepy at the hospital."

"Well, I had just got up and walked away from some major injuries after a car accident," Alaric said drily, "There's no reason to be suspicious after that." He sighed, and then continued, "But I have been looking for red flags; her ex called her a psycho case."

Damon dismissed that with a sharp hand gesture. "If it comes from an ex, it doesn't count," He reassured his best friend and then looked down at the menu on the table, browsing for a moment before tossing it to Rick. "It's yours."

Alaric picked up and turned it over in his hands slowly, looking at but not reading the laminated menu. "I wonder what my exes call me," He wondered aloud and worried his lip.

"Nothing," Damon gave him a confused look, "They're all dead."

"Huh," Rick nodded, observing that. "Well, her ex is the medical examiner, so he's . . . dead – adjacent."

Damon's face froze and then swiveled slowly to look at Rick. "Her ex is the medical examiner?"

"Uh huh," Alaric nodded and set the menu down in front of him.

"Well, I don't think he's dead-adjacent, I think he's just . . . dead," Damon stole Rick's drink and took a swig. "Hey, waitress, ma'am, can I have a bourbon?" The passing waitress nodded, smiled at Damon, and disappeared behind the bar.

"Excuse me?" Alaric asked.

"He was murdered," Damon clarified and then confided, "Sheriff's trying to keep a lid on it because the victim was staked like a vampire."

Alaric's face fell into a contemplative look as he leaned forwards, hands clasped on the table in front of him. "Well, Meredith didn't say anything about that."

Damon wiggled his brows. "Well, red flag number two."

"Who do you think killed him?" Alaric asked. A short waitress, different from earlier, arrived at their table and Damon squinted.

"Anna?"

She raised an unimpressed brow and set down a tumbler of amber liquid in front of the vampire's hand. "Here's your bourbon."

"You disappeared the other day from the Boarding House," Damon accused, "while we were talking about getting rid of Klaus."

"I would have stayed, but the welcoming committee wasn't there and instead I got a suspicious ass who accused me of betraying my boyfriend and his pals to the dark side," Anna gave him a sharp edged smile.

"We were on edge about Klaus," Damon said mildly, "and who could blame me? Or the rest of them? You  _were_  resurrected by  _Faye Chamberlain_  for reasons unknown."

Anna only rolled her eyes. "Whatever, dick. Enjoy your drink." She looked over at Alaric and added, "I really have no idea why you stand to be in his presence." She turned and stalked away to another table, sticking on plastic smile on her face as she greeted them.

"Damon," Alaric brought his friend's attention back to their table and away from Anna's, "Who do you think killed the medical examiner?" He repeated.

Damon shrugged, "I don't know, but if I were a cop, your sexy doctor friend would be my number one suspect."

Alaric put his head in his hands and groaned.

.

.

.

Anna repressed the urge to cheer as Damon left the Mystic Grill, but there was still a grin on her face as she arrived at her newest table and its sole occupant.

"I want to do that whenever he leaves too," Bonnie Bennett remarked dryly, seeing the other girl's internal impulses.

Anna nodded emphatically. "Damon Salvatore is here  _every single day_  and I now feel an urge to throttle him the second I see him that I am beginning to not want to repress."

Bonnie barked a laugh. "I'll drink to that."

Anna felt a mirroring smile on her face. She liked Bonnie, in a distant kind of way; she was Matt's friend and Anna wanted to like his friends, or at least tolerate them, seeing as their relationship was beginning to turn from simple friendship to something more, something bigger.

"Is there something I can get you?" Anna asked and tapped her notepad used for taking orders from customers.

"Coffee," Bonnie said after a moment and then sighed, "Just coffee."

Anna squirmed at the heavily loaded sigh; there was clearly something wrong, but the former vampire didn't really make a habit of snooping in other's people business unless she had a specific goal in mind that needed to be attained. But this was Bonnie Bennett, witch of Mystic Falls, and Matt's good friend . . .

"Is something wrong?" Anna asked quickly, wanting to get the question off of her tongue as fast as possible and crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that the witch would say 'nothing'.

Bonnie shrugged, but her mouth opened and words just spilled from her lips like a fountain of information, "My mother is living with me for the first time in fifteen years after she abandoned me and my dad; my dad is out of town and doesn't even know I contacted her; and some stupid Original vampire is following me around like a demented lost puppy. And I'm pretty sure I didn't do any of the research for Alaric's last homework assignment." Her face flushed. "Sorry."

Anna winced. "I asked."

"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Matt swung by their table and eyed them with something that might have been happiness.

"Just getting to know Anna a little better," Bonnie said awkwardly.

"Cool," Matt nodded and bit his lip before nodding again. Anna wanted to smile at his clear hesitance. "Have fun." He disappeared.

"That was . . . something else," Bonnie said, clearly glad to move onto another topic besides her life.

"Yeah," Anna smiled, "Matt's special."

"You really like him," Bonnie said, the realization lighting up her eyes. "I'm glad. I'm glad that he has someone at least semi-normal in this screwed up town we live in that makes him happy."

"Semi-normal?" Anna snarked.

"Well, you used to be a vampire . . ." Bonnie trailed off with a small smirk of her own.

"Touché," Anna allowed and then cleared her throat, "About your problems . . . I don't know how it feels to be deliberately abandoned by your mother, but I do know that it sucks not having one at all; so I recommend that you make amends before something happens and you regret not having the chance. And I'd tell the Original vampire that's chasing you to back off. Or do some magic juju to make him stay away."

"Thanks," Bonnie said quietly and put her hand into steeples on the table in front of her.

"I'll bring around some coffee."

* * *

Damon left Alaric's company and decided to scout out Doctor Meredith Fell for himself at the hospital. He had a funny feeling about her and it just wouldn't do for Rick to attach himself to a literal murdering psycho case as a girlfriend. Damon looked around and found out her rounds schedule and found a brightly lit, florescent hallway to wait in. He stood leaning against a door and counted down until she passed him.

"Hi, I'm Damon."

"Yes, I remember you, Mr. Salvatore," Dr. Fell paused and said with slightly furrowed brows. "Is there something you needed?"

"Well, I just felt that we didn't really get a chance to officially meet or anything." Damon smiled prettily at her.

"I'm Meredith Fell," She said dryly, "and you're Damon Salvatore. I saw you at the Council meeting and at the hospital with Alaric the other day. Was there anything else?"

"I also like to stroll through the halls and wave at newborns through the window," Damon indicated the window just behind him into the nursery and smirked. Meredith, still looking amused by him, nodded her head and started to leave. Damon turned and put on a concerned voice, "Oh, Dr. Fell, I was going to mention; I'm sorry about your boyfriend. Animal attack? Brutal."

Meredith paused and turned around so that half of her body was facing the vampire. "Ex-boyfriend, actually, but thank you. I'm still kind of processing everything."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Damon continued despite the fact that Meredith looked completely done with the conversation and was very casually walking away. He pushed on, following her, "I just came by to tell you that it wasn't an animal attack and then I realized," Damon took a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and unrolled it with a flourish, "you signed the death certificate."

Meredith stopped and whirled around, lips pressed into a very thin line. They were standing in front of a hospital room, and she looked surreptitiously around before inkling her head to the door. Damon smirked and followed her inside. Meredith closed the door tightly behind them and spun back to Damon.

"Would you rather have preferred it if I had said he was staked like a vampire?" She demanded quietly.

"Are you the guy that coined the term 'animal attack'?"

"Why do you even care?" Meredith hissed.

"Because Rick likes you," Damon snapped, "and if you're a psychopath, that doesn't really work out for him, does it?"

Meredith barked unamused laughter. "You think I killed my ex-boyfriend."

"I think psychopaths are incredibly high maintenance," Damon drawled knowingly. After all, Damon himself was arguably one, and Stephanie went she was on a bender definitely was.

Meredith however, was not having any of it. "If you care about your friend," She spat, "go figure out who Alaric came in the ICU on his deathbed and then walked out with you later without a single scratch."

"Are we back to that?" Damon groaned and then tilted his head up. He pressed his lips together and then said quietly, "Fair enough," unwillingly to reveal any of his or Alaric's secrets. Damon walked around the good doctor, but he fell to his knees when she jammed a syringe into his pale, exposed neck. He could feel the vervain enter his system; it weakened him and made his limbs turn to jelly. His eye lids fluttered closed, but he remained conscious.

The young doctor dragged Damon by his shoulders over to the wall, where she propped him up against it. She said nothing as she struggled to get his left arm out of his leather jacket, and then opened another syringe and began to draw blood from the inside of his elbow. He twitched, beginning to feel control seeping back into his limbs, and Meredith rapidly finished up, collecting his blood and running out of the room.

"Well, damn."

* * *

Elijah stood at the fringes of the room with Rebekah and Stephanie, all quiet but only he was contained; Rebekah clutched Stephanie's elbow with enough force that was clearly bruising, and Steph was causing her lip to bleed from the pressure she was exerting as she bit it.

Somehow Faye had managed to get her entire coven to come to Mystic Falls in a bid to help release Niklaus.

They were all located at the Mikaelson Mansion and were in the epicenter of the house; the ballroom. Klaus' coffin sat in the center with a ring of witches standing around it with conjoined hands. Faye was standing on the other side of the circle, facing Elijah. On her left was her beautiful blonde cousin, Diana Meade. Elijah knew the others' names, but wouldn't have been surprised if Rebekah and Stephanie did not.

On Faye's left was her best friend, Deborah Armstrong, and she was perhaps the nastiest witch in the group besides Faye herself. One of the most powerful witches, if not the most powerful, was Cassie Blake, on Diana's left, and next to her was her soulmate, Adam Conant. Elijah felt a flicker of curiosity in him as he thought on the concept of soul mates. Faye had told him a little of it, but only because it wasn't just a "witchy thing".

Elijah had done some extra research around the supernatural and come up with interesting results on the "soulmate principle", as it was known as. The concept was fairly simple, as far as Elijah could discern; it was based off the theory that there was a single person in the world that was your soulmate. There could be no physical or mental markers of similarity, and age was not even considered by the Powers that Be or whoever made these matches. Elijah had even found that you did not even have to like your soulmate; you just needed may be completely wrong for you in every way; wrong species, wrong temperament, wrong age. But you know you'll never be completely happy again without them. Or so every text or person who had heard of the code had spoken to Elijah.

So seeing a live pairing that supposedly fell under this principle, this concept, was very curious indeed.

Elijah had to rouse himself from his musings. Around the circle, the Original carefully catalogued each witch or warlock, as the case may be, for future reference. Besides Faye, Deborah, Diana, and Cassie, Elijah discerned who was who based on Faye's descriptions; he spied the twins, Christopher and Douglas Henderson; and saw Laurel Quincey; Melanie Glaser; Nick Armstrong, Deborah's cousin; Sean Dulany; and Suzan Whittier. It was a full circle, and Elijah had no doubts that they would be able to break the bonds holding Niklaus in his prison because of their strength. The witches' chanting was a low hum that most humans would consider foreboding, even frightening, and it was only escalating the closer they become to reaching their goal.

Elijah wondered what Faye said to convince her peers to help vampires; he knew that most were not comfortable with the undead, especially ones with few scruples of killing humans. It was something he would need to find out before they left.

Diana's eyes flew open and they seemed unnaturally bright. "It is done." As one cohesive unit, the Circle and the vampires turned to stare at the coffin.

It began to shudder.

* * *

Damon strode into Alaric's apartment, wincing a little at his best friend's taste in music, and headed for the kitchen, where all the booze was located. On the far side of what was supposed to be the living room was Alaric, benching weights in his workout regalia.

"What are you doing here?" Alaric huffed. The pits of his grey tank were damp with sweat, along with the front of his shirt around his neck.

Damon opened the lid on the pot on the stove; Rick was boiling pasta. "Oh, looking for anything funny. You're good; for now."

"Still obsessed with Meredith?" Alaric grunted and he put the weight back on the stand.

"Shouldn't you have someone spot you?" Damon leered.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on getting your sister back from the mouth of hell?" Alaric snapped back.

"Aw, do ten more of those!" Damon ignored the question and pointed at the weights, "You're going to need to buff up for this one; self-defense and all. And I would be happy to spot you, you're welcome, Rick."

"What is your problem?" Alaric demanded as he rose.

"Your doctor vervained me," Damon said, letting his annoyance shine through his cool exterior. He grabbed a drink and then made himself comfortable on Alaric's fluffy chair. "And then she blood-jacked me."

Alaric's brows furrowed, "What?" He was clearly disappointed and Damon felt a pang of remorse for blowing his friend's chance at romance and happiness. But Meredith was clearly off her rocker and Rick deserved better. "I mean, when did you even see her?"

Damon put his booted feet up on the coffee table. "When I went to the hospital to accuse her of killing her ex-boyfriend." He grimaced and drank, "Which, by the way, is a _very_ sensitive subject."

Alaric spread his arms wide and Damon could hear the anger in his inflection, and read it on his scrunched up face. "Damon, what the hell are you doing? What were you thinking?"

"Why are you mad at me?" Damon asked defensively. He only had Alaric's best interest in mind! Hello!

"I told you I could handle this!" Rick snapped angrily.

"I proved your theory right," Damon replied, annoyed now, "Diagnosed: psycho case. You're welcome."

Alaric sighed. "I'm gonna go out. You can stay here, if you want."

"Sure, sure," Damon narrowed his eyes as he watched Alaric's retreating back. The door clicked behind him.

* * *

Caroline and Lexi found Tyler at the Grill, where Matt was working, and so was his new girlfriend, stupid former vampire Anna. The short dark haired girl was standing in a waitress uniform, talking quietly with Bonnie.

"Traitor," Caroline gasped when she spotted them chatting happily together.

Caroline saw Lexi roll her eyes. "Listen, Care, clearly Matt is infatuated with Anna; let it go. She's not doing any harm, and so what if she and Bonnie want to get along? It's okay." Lexi steered the other blonde vampire girl away and towards Tyler. The hybrid was playing pool against some of the other players of the football team, and winning from the sounds of his crowing gales of laughter. Caroline felt a smile creep up on her despite herself.

"Tyler," She greeted and he turned around and spotted her. Her smile faltered when he barely reacted. "Tyler," Caroline repeated quieter.

"Hey," He nodded.

"Can we have a minute?" Lexi asked the others on the team. When they loitered, she threw them a sultry wink and mouthed 'later' at them. They scattered and Lexi turned back to the love birds in front of her. "So, I have an idea about how to break your sire bond, Tyler."

The hybrid gaped. "But I don't – you guys don't understand. Just – just leave it."

Caroline frowned. "But we want to help you, Ty. I want to help you get better."

"There's nothing  _wrong_ with me," Tyler protested.

"You compelled Jeremy and Alaric to drive through the Boarding House's front door," Lexi deadpanned, "I think there' something wrong."

"You don't get it," Tyler snapped, "Klaus released me from having to suffer the pain of turning every full moon. I owe him for that."

"Tyler," Lexi said quietly in a strong voice, eyes meeting his and not letting his gaze go, "you can be grateful to Klaus for helping you out, that's fine. But what is not okay is you having to listen to his every command, his every whim. We just want to help you get your free will back."

Tyler leaned forwards, "I heard you buried Klaus. I figure that means I won't have any more commands to follow anyway, if I even cared about that." There was a light in his eye though, that Caroline could see, that said he was glad for it.

"Let's be real for a minute," Lexi stated flatly and she crossed her arms over her chest, "neither you nor I believe for a minute that Klaus is going to stay down there forever. We can wish it, but all we really did was buy time for ourselves and hope that the bastard suffers down there while we're at this. But even if Klaus is down there for centuries, one day he'll be back and you'll be his little bitch again, taking every single command."

Tyler's fists clenched and his face flushed and Caroline fought a frown, though, as the other girl's thoughts came to life; she Lexi really think that? Did she really think that Klaus would be pulled up? All of their hard work – for nothing, really. If Lexi was right and they're just buying time, it was inane and useless time; they had worked through all their options and burying Klaus alive with enchantments was their last resort. What could they possibly do in the future to battle Klaus?

"Do you really want to be Klaus' bitch for eternity?" Lexi finished and Caroline pushed her theorizing to back of her mind as she waited with a bated breath for Tyler's response.

She didn't have to wait long.

"Okay," Tyler sighed, "I'm in. What do I have to do?"

* * *

Alaric stormed into the hospital with Damon's words in the forefront of his mind; he had to find Meredith and find out the truth. Luckily, she was a well-known surgeon and was easy to locate.

"Do you want to tell me what you're up to?" He asked coolly.

"You talked to Damon." She lowered her folder and looked agitated.

"Yeah, I did," Alaric snapped.

"He wasn't supposed to wake up so soon," Meredith defended herself, "He wasn't supposed to wake up for hours."

Alaric couldn't believe her; she was only upset that Damon had woken up before she deigned him to? What's worse was that she was using that as her argument, like Alaric would understand. Incredulity filled his tone, "He drinks it, every day to build up a tolerance so that people like  _you_ don't get the jump on him." He was angry on Damon's behalf and felt his right hand twitch.

"I'm not crazy," Meredith sighed, "Rick."

"Really?" Alaric asked, "Then what are you?"

A door opened behind them and a cop and a nurse rolled a man down the hall from an ambulance. Meredith watched them go. "You really want to know? Stick around." She followed them, and after a moment, Rick joined her.

They went after the patient and as soon as the nurse and cop left, Meredith catalogued all of the man's injuries. He looked vaguely familiar . . . Rick thought out it for a moment and then concluded that it was a member of the Council.

"Is he gonna make it?" Alaric asked quietly.

"No, not without outside interference," Meredith replied and pulled out a vial and a syringe.

"Is that . . ." Rick trailed off.

"Yes, it's Damon's blood," The doctor confirmed and inject the patient. "Vampire blood." She turned back to Alaric and asked, "You want to know my secret? I cheat. I'm a doctor and I hate when people die, so when I can do something about it, I do."

Alaric stood, mouth agape as he watched this woman who did everything in her power to save people – and found himself in the same place he'd been in earlier that day during lunch; he thought he could have been falling in love.

* * *

The witches and their tempting thrumming hearts and pulsing blood stepped away from the coffin as it began to shudder and shake, and Stephanie dug her finger nails into her thighs in anticipation. Elijah took a step forwards and his deep, commanding voice filled the room.

"Thank you for your service, but I think it would be beneficial to yourselves if you were to leave. We will discuss payment in the morning; I would hate for something to happen to one of you by accident because my brother is confused."

A beautiful blonde inclined her head. "The payment has been settled, vampire Elijah Mikaelson. We'll take our leave." She turned and led the others out and all left except for Faye and one of the others, who the dark headed witch said goodbye to quickly.

Almost as if on cue, the moment the witches left the Mikaelson property, the top of the coffin flew up and smashed, breaking into a million of pointy wooden shards against the fireplace. Steph shielded her face and heart as the splinters scattered and grazed her forearms and shoulders. There was deep rumbling and then a thundering roar as Klaus tore himself the rest of the way out of the coffin, eyes wide, amber and feral.

His clothes were torn, most likely from a continuous struggle to release himself from his coffin during the past twenty four hours, and his blond curly hair was wild. Klaus' dexterous fingers were curled into claws as he crouched in the center of the room, and his lips were curled into a fierce snarl. He roared in rage again.

"Niklaus," Elijah's voice was calm and soothing. "You are safe now."

"Wake up, Nik," Rebekah snapped and the fear in her voice was palpable; Faye twitched at the sound of it. Steph was speechless even as she approached her lover, arms loose at her sides. Klaus' eyes cleared but remained amber, even as he straightened from his defensive crouch and his fingers uncurled.

"Stephanie," Elijah warned half-heartedly, but his cautions went unheeded; even he wanted to see Klaus alright and was far more concerned about his brother.

Stephanie slowly reached out a hand towards Klaus' face and drew his gaze; his eyes began to clear and the veins on his face disappear from view. He blinked the amber away and Steph smirked as awareness came back to the hybrid.

"Now that's more like it," She drawled, eyes darkening.

And Klaus began to grin.

* * *

Alaric carefully shut the door beneath the stairs and pulled out a heavy bag, setting it on an end table, and turned to Meredith.

"You told me your secret; now I'm telling you mine," Rick said heavily. He'd taken her to the Gilbert house where he was staying with Elena the nights that she was actually there instead of at the Boarding House, the only parental guidance she had left.

He pulled out a few homemade wooden stakes and let Meredith draw her own conclusions. "You're a vampire hunter," She realized, blinking up at him. Her tone conveyed her surprise, along with her rounded eyes.

"Of a kind," Alaric allowed with a grim nod.

Meredith's surprise took a quick turn and she grinned mischievously, "You're trying to get out of taking me to dinner, aren't you?"

Alaric frowned. He was being serious; didn't she realize how dangerous his job was? "I'm just trying to be honest with you. No secrets."

Meredith nodded along. "Okay. Then tell me how you survived going through a brick wall in a cheap car. Your injuries were fatal, but you just got right back up. Was it vampire blood? Did Damon give you some of his?"

Alaric mumbled a bit, but finally showed her his hand. "This ring protects me from dying supernatural deaths."

Meredith gently took his hand, turning it over in hers as she observed the gaudy ring. "A vampire hunter who can't be killed by vampires. Convenient." She smiled and Alaric grinned back at her. She tried to take off the ring, but Rick was quick to keep it on. "Are you worried I'm a supernatural being?"

Their faces were close now, and they were leaning closer. "One," Alaric started, "can never . . . be careful." Their lips met and moved together, exploratory.

A door clicked and two sets of footsteps approached them; a set of heels and boots. "Oh, hey. Sorry!" Alaric and Meredith looked up to find Elena shielding her eyes to keep from watching them make out in her living room, with Damon just behind her, leering suggestively.

Meredith smiled awkwardly. "I'm – I'm gonna go." She waved haltingly.

"Okay, yeah, sure, sure," Alaric bobbed his head and smiled again at Meredith, who nodded at Elena and Damon before disappearing out the front door.

"Elena, I am so sorry."

The teenage girl only shrugged and took off her bag. "Please, it's fine."

"Most definitely fine," Damon drawled, "except for the fact it was with the killer psycho case."

Elena smacked him sharply, "I'm sure that's not true."

But Alaric shook his head, ignoring the name calling for now besides a quick glare in Damon's direction. "No, it's really not, this isn't even my place; it's your place, it's your family's place – "

Elena only shook her head and stepped forwards to clasp Alaric's hands in her own. "The minute you slept on that couch it became your place too. We, Jeremy and I, needed you and . . . you stayed. So thank you for that. Hey, look, I know it's hard, but Jenna's gone. And you're allowed to move on." She hugged Rick, and not even Damon said anything to that.

Unfortunately, their peace was disturbed by the shrill ringing of Elena's phone.

"Better get that," Damon said and without pause, he snatched up his girlfriend's purse and answered her phone. "Elena Gilbert's phone, how may I be of service?" Alaric shifted uneasily on his feet, still touched by Elena's proclamation.

They all heard the hysterical tones on the other end of the phone. "Klaus is back!"

"What?" Damon demanded, even as Elena snatched back her phone. Alaric went cold and stiff, his posture straightening up almost unconsciously.

"Bonnie, what's happened?" Elena asked calmly. Alaric strained his hearing, but evidently just talking to Elena had calmed the other girl down a bit and so her volume lowered. After a few agonizingly slow moments that included shaky head bobs and hushed assurances, Elena said, "Okay, we'll be right over." And she ended the call and looked up at them grimly.

"Well?" Damon asked impatiently and Alaric could see him tapping his foot. If he was honest, the vampire hunter was having the same reaction.

"Elijah and the others found a way to let Klaus out and the hybrid is pissed," Elena explained and her expression was like a thundercloud of fury. "He went to get revenge on Bonnie and Abby for locking him up."

"Elena," Alaric almost snapped, "What happened?"

"Klaus turned Bonnie's mom into a vampire," Elena finally spat, "She needs me over there. Damon, I need you to come to help out with her mom. Rick, maybe you should stay here; Abby doesn't know you and her emotions will be heightened and she'll be scared."

"It'll be dangerous," He said half-heartedly.

"It'll be fine," Damon reassured him and he and Elena clasped hands. "We've got this."

Elena sniffed and nodded, her anger beginning to cool. "Yeah. We can handle this."

* * *

Kol hovered at the edge of the Bennett property, mindful of the occupants inside. Earlier, he'd followed Bonnie to the town's only bar and grill and watched her interact with her friends, Anna and Matt, for a time. He'd chatted with some pretty airheaded girls and some dumb jocks, but always a bit of his attention was strained onto the town's teen witch. When Kol had been about to die of boredom, she'd received a sudden phone call. The Original perked up but didn't turn around.

"Hello?" She was inquisitive, but also bored, toying with one of the charms on her silver bracelet.

" _Did you really believe that you and your mum were strong enough to make a spell to contain_ me _?"_ Kol could hear his brother's voice from the other end of the phone as if the older man was right beside him, and he almost shivered at the cold fury in Klaus' voice; nothing good would come of this.

"I thought it would hold you longer for a day, at least," Bonnie hissed under her breath, already throwing a twenty dollar bill down and gathering up her things. "How'd you do it?"

"Faye Chamberlain is a wonderful witch to have on call," Klaus boasted and Kol heard the arrogance dripping from his tone.

"You'd need either a coven or two generations of witches to break that spell," Bonnie stated almost casually. She pushed in her chair and strode for the front door of the Grill, headed where, Kol wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to be let out of this conversation; he smoothly slid away from the teenagers that were his physical age and made his way stealthily after the girl.

" _Faye belongs to a full Circle, little witch, and they're_ strong. _No need to feel bad; you and your mum had no chance against them."_

"So why are you calling me?" Bonnie snapped and Kol thought she surely must be wishing that she'd driven her car to the Grill instead of storming off, away from him. It was sunset now, and darkness would be reigning in less than an hour.

" _I have your mother,"_ Klaus paused here, and did something to illicit a very feminine scream from what must have been Abby Bennett Wilson,  _"and I'm going to extra revenge for your actions."_

Bonnie sped up. "Let her go; it was my idea."

" _That's why I have her,"_  Klaus was amused,  _"because it will pain you more to see your mother hurt than for me to torture you."_

"I'll do whatever you want, just release her," Bonnie begged and Kol could hear some of the steel vanishing as her mother gave another piercing cry. "Please."

" _No negotiations,"_ Klaus said flatly,  _"While I was on my way over to your pretty little cottage house, I was wondering what the worst thing I could do to your mum was and it occurred to me; witches love their connection to the earth, for it gives them their magic. I've already fed Mum some of my blood, so if I just snap her neck, she'll be in transition and her connection to nature will be severed."_ Kol winced.  _"So, you'll still have your mother, but she'll just be one of the monsters that you hate. Ta for now, sweet."_

The connection was ended, leaving Bonnie screaming furiously at it and Kol just a few feet behind her, forgoing his attempt at subterfuge.

"I could run you home," Kol offered and the witch whirled around, her face darkening into something terrifying.

She lifted a hand and a piercing pain bloomed in Kol's head, lancing his blood vessels. He staggered and fell to one knee, hands pushing in on his forehead, crying out in unbelievable pain.

"I may not be able to kill you, but I damn well can have fun trying," Bonnie snarled, "so stay out of my way so I can rescue my mother from your evil, maniac brother!"

"I'm trying to help!" Kol roared and felt his fingernails draw blood. The pain disappeared suddenly, leaving the Original gasping for unneeded breath as he fell forwards and sprawled on his stomach. "I can run you back to your house in time to help your mum."

"Why?" Bonnie asked suspiciously.

A witty retort was on the tip of his tongue, but just a glance at Bonnie's thunderous face was enough to quell the urge. Instead, he said a partial truth. "I know what it feels like to be ripped away from nature and magic, Bennett. And it hurts."

Bonnie only hesitated for a moment, but it felt like it was forever until she acquiesced. "Take me home then." She didn't offer him a hand up, not that he even needed it.

Kol jumped up and wrapped a hand around the curve of Bonnie's waist and sped away towards the Bennett residence, taking less than thirty seconds to arrive. When he stopped, Bonnie ripped away from Kol and sped towards the porch, where Klaus had Abby in an almost tender embrace. But Abby's throat was torn out and her eyes were dull as Klaus dropped her onto the wooden porch steps. The woman had stopped bleeding, dead. Kol surreptitiously looked around the neighborhood; everyone within a two block radius must have been compelled to ignore the Bennett house.

"Mom!" Bonnie screamed and scrabbled up the steps, stumbling, but making it to her mother's side. "Mom," She cried, and they were the horrible, ugly and loud sobs that wracked your chest and made you shudder and tremble afterwards. Kol stayed at the edge of the property, impassive as he watched Klaus run a tongue over his still elongated canines, amber eyes focused on the sight in front of him. The front of his brother's shirt was soaked in blood, very unusual compared to his usually clean kills.

Bonnie looked up at him, tears still streaming from her eyes. "You did this. You killed her!"

"Actually, sweetheart, I turned her into a vampire," Klaus tilted his head in thought, "She'll be needing a bit of blood to keep her on her feet though."

"You're a heartless, evil, monster," Bonnie snapped venomously.

"But you already knew that," Klaus crooned to her, and then turned to Kol, gaze hardening. "As for you, brother, I think we need to have a chat."

"Go kill yourselves somewhere else," Bonnie commanded them steely, "I don't want to see it." She pulled out her phone and made a frantic phone call, turning her body away from the Originals in her midst.

Klaus stepped off the porch and over Abby's body, striding over to stand in Kol's personal space. His fangs retracted and his amber eyes flashed back to their normal hue. Klaus leaned his head forwards, hissing into Kol's face, "What game are you playing, Kol? Putting me in a coffin and then helping out the Bennett witch? You're playing with fire."

"You're not the only one with an agenda, Niklaus," Kol arched his brows playfully. He forced himself to keep his eyes off of the sobbing Bonnie and her unnaturally still mother.

Klaus cocked his head to the side, anger diverted for the moment. "What game are you playing, brother?" He asked quietly.

"Now that would be telling," Kol grinned with all of his white teeth.

"If you continue to undermine me," Klaus warned and the anger rushed back into his face, "I will put you into a box and you will not see the light of day for another five centuries, if ever."

"Who said my agenda had anything more to do with you?" Kol asked innocently and then distracted Klaus with his favorite topic, "Where's dear little Stephanie? Shouldn't she be here with you for your revenge?"

"I wanted to do this alone," Klaus revealed, surprising Kol. His blue eyes were still searching Kol's for something, some motive, anything to clue him in on his little brother's plans.

"Well, I'm sure she misses you, along with Bekah and 'Lijah," Kol smirked, "Better get back to them." His bravado was almost all a show; Klaus was unpredictable and might make good on his threat to dagger Kol again. That would definitely put a wrench in his plans.

"I'll figure out what you're up to," Klaus finally said, a clear warning in his voice. Kol kept his mouth shut, deciding it probably best not to know that Finn might have a good idea of his ideas for the Bennett witch and the future. "And if I catch you plotting against me again, I  _will_  stop you."

"Thank you, oh merciful one," Kol winked. Klaus growled and Kol took a step back with raised hands. A moment later and the hybrid was gone, leaving Kol to slowly fade into the shadows as Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert the doppelgänger arrived, the Salvatore toting a suspicious looking backpack. A quick sniff revealed nothing, leaving Kol to only guess what was inside.

The two new arrivals helped get the waking Abby into the house, the older woman staggering on her feet between them. Bonnie was the last one to go in, but before she did, her eyes swept the moonlit lawn. Her gaze lingered on Kol's spot for several seconds before she disappeared inside.

Kol didn't hesitate as he ghosted forwards towards the house; he wasn't going to miss the ending of this dramatic event.

Besides, he hoped to get Bonnie alone soon; he had a new angle to work in persuading her to use Expression.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the only way?" Caroline asked tearfully, tugging on the lapels of Tyler's jacket. She, Lexi and Tyler stood the Lockwood' driveway, next to the car that Tyler would be driving to the Appalachian Mountains.

"Yes," Lexi nodded, "there's a pack of werewolves there that will be able to help Tyler get rid of the sire bond, permanently."

"I'll come back as soon as I'm better," Tyler reassured Caroline, dark eyes fervent. The vampire sniffed and buried her face into his chest.

"I wish you didn't have to go."

"I do too," Tyler whispered into her curly hair, "but I do. You guys helped me realize again that I want to be free; I want to make my own decisions and not be Klaus' lapdog."

Caroline nodded her head quickly, using the back of her hand to wipe away her tears. "Right. Don't forget about any of us," She attempted to tease.

"Of course not," Tyler swore and then softened, "and by the way, happy birthday, Care."

"Thanks," Caroline hiccupped, "You know, I almost forgot."

"We'll have a huge party next to year to make up for it," Tyler promised her quietly.

"Sure we will."

Lexi turned her head to give the couple privacy as they kissed. A moment later, Carol Lockwood stepped towards them and smothered her son with kisses and hugs and made him promise to call as soon as he able to. The three women – human and vampires – stood together as the truck pulled out of the drive and away from the Lockwood residence.

"He'll be back," Carol nodded stiffly to herself, looking out after her son even after he was long gone.

"Of course," Caroline sighed, her gaze in the same direction, and then her phone rang. She looked down. "It's Bonnie."

* * *

Long after Klaus had gone to the Mikaelson Mansion and all of Bonnie's friends had all disappeared to their homes at her request, Kol still waited.

He knocked on her door.

The witch tiredly answered it, dark bags already underneath her eyes. Her hair was up in a loose ponytail and she was in a sweatshirt for her school. "You realize that your behavior is obsessive, right," She asked flatly. "You're basically stalking me."

Kol shrugged. "I'm a lonely guy."

"Right," Bonnie scoffed and leaned on her doorjamb. "Well, what do you want now?"

"To check on Mama Bennett," Kol said easily and watched as Bonnie's face hardened.

"She drank the blood Damon brought over, as I'm sure you already know if you've been out here this whole time; she turned," Bonnie said.

"I'm glad," Kol grinned.

"Why?"

"You've got have to someone, right?" Kol asked blandly, "I mean, from what I've gathered in my short stay in Mystic Falls, your friends use you when they feel like it and then discard you later. You don't have a father, or if you do, I've never seen him, and you just got Mum back."

"You don't know anything about me," Bonnie said unwaveringly, "You don't know anything about my relationships."

Kol only shrugged, unconcerned.

"And you only stalk me because you want me to commit mass murder so I can channel Expression, for whatever the hell bizarre reason you have," Bonnie continued.

"Actually, I stalk you because you're pretty and you have fiery spirit," Kol corrected with a sharp grin, "If I wanted just any old witch to channel Expression, I'd find another one that's not as stubborn."

Bonnie looked utterly revolted. "Do you – do you have a  _crush_  on me?" Kol took offense to that – he wasn't the greatest person in the world, but did he warrant such facial expressions? He was handsome and charming and intelligent . . .

"No, you're as ugly as your deeds, you're about as charming as a rock, and Damon Salvatore is smarter than you," Bonnie snapped, horrified.

"Did I say all that out loud?" Kol wondered and Bonnie nodded sharply. "Well." He shrugged again. "It's true."

"No."

Kol squinted. "You're not flattered at all?"

Bonnie mimed throwing up. "I'm going to close the door now."

Kol felt his heart speed up despite himself; he really did want Bonnie to perform Expression and did he actually want a little infatuation to get in the way of that? "Wait! You can help your mother with Expression!"

Bonnie froze. "What?"

"Bonnie, you would be neigh unstoppable if you wielded that magic," Kol urged, "You'd have limitless power – think of what you could do! You could help your mum by giving her connection with nature back. She'd be happier with magic, surely, and it might have her transition from living to undead go a little easier with some familiarity."

Bonnie's eyes were unfocused for a moment while she clearly thought about it. Then they narrowed. "You want me to give you  _your_  magic back. This isn't about my mother at all."

Kol frowned. "Well, yes, I would want you help me out too, but I really am thinking about your mother too!"

"No," Bonnie paused. "Unless . . . could I bring her back?"

Kol understood immediately and his eyes widened. It wasn't particularly likely, but there was always a possibility, he supposed. The Original saw in her eyes that this might be his only chance, the only reason she would do this, and so . . . smudged the truth. "Yes, or you should be able to. Depends on the witch."

Kol waited with bated breath as Bonnie considered it, really considered it.

"I can't murder twelve people," She finally said, deflated, "Good night."

The door slammed in his face and Kol turned around, running his fist through the Bennett's neighbor's mailbox. He let out an angry shout and spun around, heading back to the Boarding House.

This close.

* * *

In the Mikaelson Mansion, Stephanie and Klaus lounged together in the parlor in front of the roaring fireplace, her head tucked into his chest and his arm around her waist. Elijah sat on the armchair with a tumbler of something dark amber and he swished it around before taking a small drink.

"Well, I've come to say good-bye," Rebekah's haughty voice called from the doorway, causing the three in the parlor to look up with surprise.

"But you've only just got me back," Klaus drawled, hiding his confusion.

"What's the matter, Rebekah?" Elijah asked practically.

"Nothing," Faye answered as she appeared at Rebekah's shoulder, "She just decided to come with me back to New Salem."

"Why are you going back  _there_?" Stephanie wrinkled her nose.

Faye laughed dryly. "It was the payment for the group spell." She was remaining tight lipped about the reason why for that, and even Rebekah was stoic.

"Curious," Was all Elijah said before he stood. "Do you need any assistance?" He asked vaguely, understanding something that Klaus didn't.

"I think we'll have it handed just fine," Faye smirked.

"I can handle myself if anything should happen," Rebekah sniffed, "I'm not a child or incompetent." She looked over to Stephanie, "Well? Are you going to give me a hug or not?" Stephanie rolled her eyes but hopped up regardless to give the Original a quick hug. Klaus and Elijah said their goodbye's, and so the blonde and witch left together, hand in hand.

"Do keep an eye out for yourselves," Rebekah warned just before parting.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you've missed part of the conversation?" Klaus whispered into the shell of Steph's ear.

"All the time around Damon," Stephanie assured.

"I think I'll take that as my cue to retire for the evening," Elijah's voice interrupted them, "Do not forget that you've started something with the rest of the town, Niklaus. Tomorrow we will need to do something to placate them."

"Of course," Klaus muttered, already kissing his lover.

Elijah sighed and shut the door behind him.

.

.

.


	12. congratulations of the mess you made of things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Weep for yourself, my man,  
> You'll never be what is in your heart  
> Weep Little Lion Man,  
> You're not as brave as you were at the start  
> Rate yourself and rake yourself,  
> Take all the courage you have left  
> Wasted on fixing all the problems  
> That you made in your own head."

"Oh, God, it's you again."

"Don't sound so glum, darling; I even brought you peace offerings."

Bonnie made a face but didn't shut the door; progress, Kol thought victoriously. He shoved the bouquet of marigolds into the witch's arms anyway, just in case she was to change her mind and slam the door in his face. The look on her face was priceless.

"You brought me flowers?" She asked incredulously, eyebrows hiked all the up to her hairline. "You're desperate if you think bringing me some pretty flora will change my opinion of you."

"You think they're pretty," Kol grinned, pleased. He folded his arms across his chest.

"I think  _you're_  psychotic," Bonnie said aggressively.

"Maybe," Kol agreed, "but I also brought your mum some blood." He tossed the messenger bag through the open door at the witch's feet.

"Thanks," She said suspiciously, "but no thanks. Damon and Elena brought some the day before yesterday. We're not out yet."

"But you will be soon," Kol assured her, "Newbies drink a lot. Trust me."

Trust you? Are you kidding me?" Bonnie asked and then sighed, resigned, "What can I do to get you to leave me and my mom alone?"

"Nothing," Kol smiled cheerfully.

"Your new tactic to win my affections is scarier than the last one," Bonnie pointed out dryly, "I think I'd prefer it if you were begging me to commit mass murder." Kol shrugged and Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I'm going to close the door now."

"Wait," Kol interjected. "I can help."

"With what? Annoying me to an early grave?"

"I can help your mum," Kol tried to appease her.

"Damon is helping her," Bonnie snapped shortly.

"I don't see him," Kol pointed out. "He's always busy with the doppelgänger anyway, and trying to retrieve his sister from my brother; it's not likely he'll have the time to help your mum finely tune her senses and learn control."

"Let me guess; you have nothing but time," Bonnie arched her brows expectantly.

Kol's smile widened and he agreed. "I have all the time in the world. I also have very good control and never kill without meaning to."

"So you premeditate your murder and have no excuse if you go on a killing spree," Bonnie placed a hand on her hip. "You're helping your case how?"

"I can give some of my expertise to Mum so that she doesn't go around draining people of blood unintentionally. I mean, if she wants to go do it after she learns control, by all means." Kol waved a hand.

"You only want to help my mom so you can get closer to me and be an annoying pest," Bonnie's face was sour.

"By letting me help your mum, you'd be doing me a favor," Kol wheedled, "In more than one way; I get to stalk you in the open  _and_ I get to stay away from Klaus, who wants my head on a platter at this very moment for helping put him in the ground, despite the short duration. I'd be in your debt, really."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes in contemplation, for now ignoring the mention of the dark magic. "I'll let you hang around on  _one_ condition."

"What's that, darling?" Kol drawled and excitement began to bloom. His plan was  _actually working?_

"You don't kill any more unless it's on  _my_ say so," The young witch crossed her arms. "I don't care if you want a midnight snack, or it's a mercy killing, or if one of your siblings needs you to do your dirty work. If you want to hang around, that's what you'll swear; you won't hurt anymore people."

Slowly, Kol smiled. He stuck out one of his hands for the witch to shake. "Alright. I swear."

"Just like that?" She asked suspiciously.

"Just like that," Kol smirked.

Bonnie stepped out onto the porch and gripped the Original vampire's proffered hand and Kol winced as tiny pinpricks of pain consumed his hand, grew up his arm and across his shoulders, traveling until it settled atop his heart. He squirmed at the uncomfortable sensation, and breathed a sigh of relief when it disappeared moments later.

Bonnie hissed, "If you break this vow, you'll regret it." She dropped his hand and stepped back into her house, lingering in the open doorway.

Kol's dark eyes met Bonnie's. "You just used a binding spell on me," Which complicated matters just a tiny bit, but would win Bonnie's trust faster, he supposed.

"So now you physically can't hurt another being without my direct say-so, yes, I know. Now I have the upper hand." Bonnie's lips curled up into a grin. "Would you like to come in, Kol Mikaelson?"

"You're manipulative," Kol observed with quirked lips. "I like it."  _Well_ , Kol thought as he stepped over the Bennett threshold, _that certainly hadn't gone to plan_. But he was closer than ever to achieving his goal of having the witch use Expression, so he supposed it had been worth it.

Now he just had to make sure that nothing happened and he didn't have to defend himself.

* * *

"Good morning," Elena announced as she entered the kitchen in her running gear. She gave Alaric's back a smile as he rifled through the cabinets, and went to get herself a glass of water. She'd run that morning, leaving Damon asleep in her bed upstairs. He'd been so peaceful, mouth parted just so and his hair all askew; he'd looked younger than the twenty-four years at which he'd turned. Innocent.

She hadn't wanted to disturb him.

Elena spied the nearly empty glass on the island and a bottle of Whiskey next to it and inquired to Alaric laughingly, "You're hung-over, aren't you?"

Alaric grumbled and asked, "Do we have any aspirin?"

She pointed. "It's in the cabinet over the cutlery drawer."

"Sorry about this," He murmured as he swallowed the pills dry. "It was a bit of a weird night."

"I told you, you don't have to feel guilty about inviting Meredith over here like two days ago," Elena told him quietly, "There's enough guilt already going around about Abby right now."

"I do thank you for that," He said about the former, and then addressed the latter, "How is she, by the way?"

"Bonnie's not really taking my calls right now," Elena admitted. "I think she just wants to be alone with her mom. Damon's been doing God knows what when he's not with me, even though he said he'd make time to teach Abby some stuff."

"It'll get better," Alaric tried to reassure.

"So how is it with Meredith?" Elena asked changed the subject.

"I Whiskey-dialed her at 2 am," He admitted with a wince.

Elena frowned. "You didn't."

"I did."

"Is she cool about it?" Elena asked as she walked over to Rick, glass of water in hand.

"Well, as soon as the aspirin kicks in and I remember the conversation, I'll let you know," Alaric smile faintly and Elena grinned. She turned to head back upstairs, but Rick recalled her. "If you're going to look for Damon, someone called him early this morning and he went out. I think it was shortly after you left for your run."

Elena tilted her head in confusion, but they were interrupted by the doorbell. Alaric and Elena exchanged glances, and with furrowed brows, went to answer the door together.

It was Liz Forbes in her Sheriff uniform, holding something tightly in her hand. "Sheriff Forbes, hi. Is everything okay?" Elena frowned.

"This is an unconventional conversation we're about to have, so I hope you'll protect me on it." Liz started and a pit grew in Elena's stomach; this did not sound good.

"Of course," Alaric answered when it appeared Elena wasn't going to, so surprised that she was.

"I assume you both heard that our medical examiner was murdered," Liz started quietly, "after the Wickery Bridge fundraiser."

"Yeah, Bryan Walters. Why?" Alaric asked curiously.

"Someone drove this stake through his heart," Liz lifted the plastic evidence bag she'd been toting to show the two in front of her the murder weapon. Alaric raised his hand to take it, even as Elena narrowed her eyes in recognition.

"It's one of ours," Rick confirmed and then turned to Elena, "This one of the set from your parents' lake house."

"It's why I'm here," Liz explained, "I haven't told anyone, but the forensics ran it for prints and found only one clean set." She met Elena's eyes dead on. "Yours."

Elena felt her mouth open in shock. "What?"

.

.

.

"So, you're the prime suspect?" Despite himself, Damon felt amusement stirring in his gut as he trudged with the tall grass and weeds of the field.

"She doesn't think that I did it; she's just trying to figure out why someone would use these weapons to kill a Council member," Elena explained over the phone.

"Well," Damon drawled, "Why don't you just ask Rick if his dirty little doctor had access to the weapons?"

He smirked when Alaric's tinny voice came through the phone: "You're on speaker phone, dick."

"I'm just saying, the first suspect is usually the right one," Damon defended himself.

"Look, Bryan was killed days ago; I didn't show Meredith this stuff until recently," Alaric shot back.

"It wasn't Meredith," Elena agreed and Damon felt himself rolling his eyes.

"Bryan Walters was her ex-boyfriend and Rick saw them fighting the night of his murder. Pretty suspicious," Damon pointed out.

"It's not Meredith, okay?" Elena snapped to Damon and then the vampire heard her reassure Rick, "I refuse to believe your luck with women is that tragic."

"Who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?" Damon relented and changed the topic.

"Who doesn't?" Rick asked rhetorically, "I've got weapons stashed all over the place; here, the school, my loft, your car."

"It's Klaus; it has to be," Damon accused, "he's screwing with us."

"I wonder if it was Stephanie," Elena said, her voice faint. "She's been crazy."

"Ah, this makes me nostalgic for the time Steph was a bunny – eating pacifist. Anyway, I've got to go," Damon said, reaching the meeting point and locking gazes with just the man he was looking for.

"Where are you?" Alaric asked.

"Having tea with an old friend," Damon said flatly and he hung up the phone. Slipping it into his pocket, he swaggered closer to the other vampire. "Ah, Elijah; my favorite Original."

"Good morning, Damon," Elijah greeted courteously.

"You called me to talk, so let's talk," Damon said, voice hard. "What do you want?"

"A truce," The Original said, surprising Damon.

"A truce," Damon repeated and barked laughter, "Are you insane? Bonnie will be on a warpath, I'm sure, as soon as she wraps her head around the fact that your brother turned her mother into an undead monster."

"Admittedly," Elijah said impassively, "Klaus went a little overboard in his search for vengeance. But we would like to discuss terms this evening, during dinner, to negotiate a peace between us. You, of course, are asked to be the representative for you and your friends. You may bring whomever you wish to accompany you."

Damon shook his head in exasperation. "You cannot seriously expect Bonnie to forgive your family; it doesn't matter what  _terms_  we discuss and agree on,  _she_  won't agree to them."

"It is not only a negotiation about your Miss Bennett," Elijah said, "Like I said, we would like to discuss terms for a peace, so that we can clear the air about Elena Gilbert's doppelgänger status and what that will mean for the future."

Damon glowered. "Leave Elena alone."

"A discussion, Damon, is all we're asking for."  _Right now_ , was left unsaid. Damon clenched his fists; would it be better to talk about this or to keep fighting? If they spoke, then maybe they could get Klaus to agree to stop going after Elena to make new hybrids. He hadn't shown any recent interest, but Klaus was unpredictable.

"Fine. Let's do this."

"Tonight, then, at my home."

* * *

It was dark and the only people at the Gilbert house were Alaric and Elena, standing over the weapons spread out upon the large kitchen table.

"What are you doing?" Elena finally asked, "With all of the weapons?"

"I'm taking inventory to see if anything else is missing," Alaric explained and then looked up. "Did you get it?"

"Do you mean, 'Did I take evidence from a crime scene?'? Yes, I did," Elena handed over the bloody dagger wrapped up in a thick white cloth. "That was what was used to kill the Council member brought into the hospital the day before yesterday, when everything with Bonnie's mom went down. He was attacked today; he'd had vampire blood in his system and then decided to let himself die."

"It's a match," Alaric said, clearly resigned as he compared the dagger to the weapons laid before him, "It's from the crawlspace in the foyer. Meredith knew where it was."

Elena shook her head. "It doesn't mean she stole it." She sounded a little unsure even to herself.

Alaric sighed and picked up the wooden stake from behind him. "This stake – the one used to kill Bryan Walters – was from a duffle in Damon's car."

"Damon's car was at the Wickery Bridge fundraiser," Elena said.

"So was Meredith," Alaric said quietly, "and so was the medical examiner, who was her ex-boyfriend. He called her a psycho- case earlier that night."

"She tried to save that Councilman before, when he just arrived at the hospital; she's the one who gave him the vampire blood," Elena crossed her arms and looked up at Rick with confusion in her eyes. "Why would she turn around and try to kill him?"

"I don't know either, but we'd be idiots to ignore all these facts," Alaric pointed out grimly.

"So, what should we do?" Elena asked.

Alaric sighed and picked up the cloth Elena had used to hide the blood dagger that had killed the latest Council member. "Get this to the police, I guess."

Elena nodded and told him quietly, "I'm sorry, Rick. Please be careful."

* * *

"So tell me again why we're negotiating with Elijah to make a truce, just after Klaus turned Abby Wilson Bennett into a vampire for revenge for putting him in a locked coffin, of which was for revenge for taking Stephanie and trying to use Elena as a human blood bag?"

"I knew I should have brought Barbie," Damon said sourly.

"I'm just curious," Lexi deadpanned, "I mean, they're only the most evil people in the world and have had your sister compelled for the last few months and have been trying to use Elena to create an army of monsters. Nothing to hold a grudge over or anything."

"Look," Damon snapped, "We're going to make a fake truce so that they leave us alone while we continue to conspire against them. There has to be a way to kill them and we'll find it. Eventually."

"So in the mean time we pretend to make nice," Lexi clarified.

Damon nodded decisively and pulled his car into the Mikaelson Mansion driveway. They parked and hopped out, walking up to the door together. Lexi used the heavy, tarnished knocker, while Damon insisted on ringing the doorbell only seconds later.

Elijah opened the heavy embossed door. He called behind his shoulder without turning his head, "Niklaus, Stephanie; our guests have arrived." The Original stepped back, allowing the vampires entrance into his home. He led them into the dining area, where Steph and Klaus were already seated next to each other.

"Damon, Lexi," Klaus greeted grandly as he stood. "Thank you for coming."

"Elijah said you wanted to negotiate a truce," Lexi said flatly.

"And we couldn't possibly turn that down," Damon drawled.

"Sit, then," Klaus waved extravagantly towards two chairs, and Damon and Lexi stepped forwards to seat themselves. Elijah joined them moments later, and a parade of compelled women brought out the first course.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Damon smiled at the beautiful redhead who served him wine and winked at her. Lexi rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't get too close," Steph said sweetly to her brother, "You wouldn't want your ball and chain to find out you'd been flirting."

"What Elena doesn't know, won't hurt her," Damon said lightly but his eyes narrowed.

"Who said I didn't mean Alaric?" Stephanie sipped her wine. "You're the whipping boy to them both, so I guess it's easy to mix them up."

"Is that all you've got? Your wit has softened in your time with these idiots," Damon drawled and smirked when Stephanie narrowed her eyes.

"Ladies," Klaus interrupted, "Let's not fight. We're all here to make nice, after all." His protests went largely ignored.

"I guess even with her humanity turned off, Steph can't leave the grumpiness at home," Damon put one last shot in for the moment.

"I guess getting laid regularly hasn't made you any kinder, Damon," Stephanie arched a brow.

"I could say the same of you," Damon took a swig of his wine. "How's the diary entries going? 'Dear Journal, I mutilated some people today and they had the audacity to be  _angry_ at me . . .'"

"Enough," Elijah cleared his voice and the dining hall quieted. "This is an attempt at a truce, not a playground. Let us leave the acerbic barbs until at least dessert."

"Yes, let's start on the terms then, shall we?" Klaus asked pleasantly.

"What did you have in mind?" Lexi asked before one of the Salvatore siblings could utter another gibe towards the other.

"You leave us alone and we leave you alone," Klaus suggested.

"Specificity, please," Lexi declared sharply.

"You stop trying to kill and/or incapacitate me, and I won't raze this little town to the ground," Klaus explained. "It's really as simple as that."

"How about you, and by that I mean the entire Original family," Damon suggested, "leave Mystic Falls forever and ever, never bothering us – and that includes Elena – again. Then we all live happily ever after."

Klaus leveled Damon a look, while Elijah admitted, "The deal sounds fair, brother." Lexi and Damon hid their surprise at the immediate results.

"I don't think you understand," Klaus said slowly, "Elena's doppelgänger blood insures that I will always have more hybrids to pit against those who oppose me." He sat forwards, voice grave. "I will never leave her behind."

Damon's lips thinned.

Lexi interrupted, "Who are you hiding from, now Klaus? You haven't wanted to make any new hybrids for a while now – not since Daddy bit the dust. Why now?"

"There are always people who wish me ill," Klaus said vaguely, "I want to be prepared." He suddenly grinned and stood, a glass of wine in his hands. "But let's say I did leave her behind in your capable hands to protect. How long before you turn her into a vampire, Damon? Or worse, she dies, caught between some feuding in this supernatural hotspot of a town? Damon, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is to be with you."

Damon's face constricted for several moments, until finally, he said, "I'm gonna get some air." He left Lexi as he strode out of the dining room.

"All this talk has made me thirsty," Klaus drawled and compelled one of the pretty women attending them. "What do you say, Stephanie; do you want to join me for a drink?"

"Sounds delicious." She rose from her chair and joined Klaus, where he held the human woman so sensuously, holding back her hair from her neck.

"Ladies first?" He offered with a sly grin.

Lexi looked away as her best friend bit into the innocent woman and began to drain her. From the lustful sounds that followed, Klaus had joined her in the meal.

"They do that all the time?" Lexi inquired of Elijah, who was sitting across from her.

"You wouldn't believe half of the stories I could tell you," He said and his voice was bone dry.

* * *

"I was glad we could all get together," Elena said as she and Matt walked back to her house. They'd met up at Caroline's and wished her a belated happy birthday, bestowing her with presents and cake. They'd phoned Bonnie, but it had just gone to voicemail again and so had reluctantly left her out of their small festivities.

After night had fallen, Matt had hesitantly admitted he had made plans with Anna and had to be leaving soon, but offered to walk Elena home first.

"Yeah, it was fun," Matt smiled.

Quiet descended.

"Are you doing okay?" Matt asked a moment later.

"I think we should be asking Bonnie that," Elena sighed and then added, "We've all lost a lot. Bonnie's mom's been turned into a vampire, Caroline's father died barely a couple of months ago, your mom is gone, and my parents . . . my parents were the first to go in a long chain of events."

"It's this town," Matt said, surprisingly vehement, "none of us should have to live this way." Elena could only nod her head in agreement as they made it to the porch steps. Matt walked in her, and Elena fumbled with the lights.

They wouldn't turn on.

"That's weird."

"Electricity must be out," Matt said quietly, but their guards went up as they walked around and to the kitchen. Elena grabbed a couple flashlights and handed one to Matt.

"We've got some candles around here somewhere . . . oh my God!"

Matt hurried to his friend's side and felt his eyes widened. "What the hell?" There was pool of blood in the kitchen floor, and when they lifted their flashlights, found bloody handprints on the walls. Shaking, Elena grabbed a chopping knife and raised it in defense. Carefully stepping over the puddle, they followed the hand and footprints up the stairs. The blood led to Alaric's prone form, leaning against the wall with a dagger in his chest.

"Rick!" Elena screamed and ran to his side. Her head fluttered around the weapon until she finally just grabbed it, and gave it a tug. Alaric cried out.

"He's lost too much blood," Matt managed to say, "I'm going to call 911."

"Rick, look at me, look at me," Elena urged, "Who did this to you?"

Alaric blinked dazed and confused eyes up at her. "I – I don't know."

Elena's eyes fell onto the dagger again and became short of breath as she realized just how injured Alaric was. "Oh, my God, there's a lot of blood, Matt!"

"I know, I know!" Matt said quickly, "I'm calling an ambulance."

"You have to kill me," Alaric gasped.

"What?" Elena recoiled.

"Elena, you – you have to kill me," Alaric repeated, panting.

"Wait, wait, wait, he's right Matt, hang up," Elena said as her eyes fell onto the ring on Alaric's finger. "If he dies of a supernatural attack, he'll come back to life and he'll be healed."

"How do you know this is supernatural?" Matt demanded, even as he hung up the phone.

"That's what he's saying, we don't," Elena cried, "I'm a doppelgänger." She calmed a little, focusing her attention on the knife she grabbed from the kitchen. She grabbed it. "That makes me supernatural."

"Elena, no, this is messed up!" Matt argued.

"He's dying, Matt!" Elena snapped and picked up the knife. She raised it above her head, breathing ragged. She slammed it down into Alaric's heart and shuttered her eyes against his dying scream of pain.

* * *

Damon returned and the woman Klaus and Stephanie fed out was healed and sent away. The group of five returned back to their seats at the dining table, but the food was all but forgotten.

"So, we made our offer clear," Damon said. "That's the only way we're going to have a truce; you leave all of us alone – including Elena. Any last thoughts?"

"Okay," Klaus cleared his throat, "I offer Elena's future happiness." Damon and Lexi exchanged confused glances. Klaus smiled. "What Elena needs right now is to be rid of you vampire nuisances; she deserves to settle down with a nice human. What about that nice football player?"

"Matt Donavan, really?" Damon asked incredulously.

"They'll marry, pop out a few kids, and have a long and beautiful life," Klaus smirked.

"And continue the Petrova bloodline," Steph mused, and her eyes slid over to glance at Klaus. "Clever."

"Every few hundred years you'll have a new doppelgänger to drain of blood and replenish your hybrid ranks," Lexi realized, disgusted.

"It's a nice turnout for an investment in her wellbeing," Klaus nodded.

"We don't accept," Damon snapped.

"Why not?" Klaus inquired, "It's just as you set forth in your terms; me and family leave you all alone for the rest of your days; Elena grows up happy and human, and she gets to live her life as normally as can be. In a century, I get a little pay off by way of more doppelgänger blood. What's not to like?"

"Besides the fact that we'd be giving you the lives of some of Elena's future descendants?" Lexi snapped.

"If you really loved Elena," Klaus told Damon, "You'd let her go." Lexi's eyes widened.

"How about this," Damon started and prepared himself for the bluff of his life, "You don't even have to leave Mystic Falls.  _All_  you have to do is leave us all alone and don't another drop of Elena's blood, and we won't kill you."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "This again? You can't kill me."

"We can if Bonnie uses Expression," Damon told him and the room immediately became still and silent.

"Where did you hear about that?" Elijah asked quietly.

"Finn told us all about it," Lexi picked Damon's vein, "and Bonnie thinks she can do it."

"Does your precious Bonnie realize she has to murder twelve people to accomplish this?" Klaus mocked them, but Damon and Lexi could see the strain in his eyes.

"Yes," Damon said unflinchingly, "and she's willing to do it if it gets rid of you."

"Now that you've told me your plan, what keeps me from killing her?" Klaus demanded.

"Who says she hasn't already tapped into it? Who says she hasn't already made the sacrificial play?" Damon drawled, "Then, when you go over to her house and she sees you – the man who turned her own mother into a vampire – and is so overcome with rage that she destroys you on the spot? Just . . . poof."

"Let's say you're telling the truth," Klaus snapped, "What keeps her from doing that the next time she sees me anyway?"

Damon smiled slowly. "This truce. Like you first put on the table; you leave us alone, and we'll leave you alone. You don't ever touch Elena again." He stuck out his hand, "What do you say?" Stephanie's eyes narrowed onto her brother; he was bluffing. She knew it. Bonnie would never kill twelve people, not even to get back at Klaus. But.

But she kept quiet.

Everyone would be happy and anyway, Mikael was gone, and who else would challenge Klaus? He was paranoid. There was no need for any more hybrids. So she said nothing.

"Deal," Klaus finally said, and they shook on it.

* * *

"He hasn't woken up yet?" Matt asked quietly. He'd cleaned the kitchen and the all of the blood in the house, leaving Elena with Rick's body. He'd called Anna and quickly explained, canceling their date and rescheduling for another time.

"No," Elena shook her head. "Will you stay with me until he does?"

"Of course," Matt sat down with her.

"I can't lose any more family," Elena said, tears streaming down her face. Matt pulled her into an embrace, rubbing her back.

"Where's Damon?" Matt asked quietly, "Have you heard from him?"

"No," Elena shook her head, "I don't know where he is and I'm getting worried."

"You want to call him?"

Elena sniffed. "Yeah. I need to call Sheriff Forbes anyway." She stood and collected herself, turning around and dialing Caroline's mother. When the Sheriff answered, she quickly explained the situation.

"I looked into it, Elena, and Meredith was called into surgery six hours ago; she's been in there ever since."

"She has an alibi?" Elena asked, aghast, and Matt looked up from the floor.

"Iron tight," Liz confirmed, "She was in a room full of witnesses."

"But then who could it be?" Elena demanded.

"I don't know, but the attack on Alaric makes him the third victim of the Founder's Council, and we just cleared our only suspect."

"Thank you, Liz," Elena ended the call, and moments later, Alaric surged back into consciousness.

"Rick!" Elena exclaimed.

He attempted a smile. "Hey."

Matt and Elena crowded around, eager to help the older man up. "Easy, easy," He admonished quietly, "I'm still a little sore."

"I have to tell you something," Elena said. "I just called Sheriff Forbes and it turns out that Meredith is innocent; she was in surgery at the same time you were attacked and there were numerous witnesses around. She's not the killer."

Alaric's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Elena nodded. "Liz sounded pretty positive."

"I need to apologize," Alaric said, "for suspecting her."

"You've just been attacked, I think you deserve a break," Matt interjected, "I'm sure she'll understand."

"I still need to apologize, especially for Damon's behavior," Alaric protested, "I'll fine after a quick shower to wash all this blood off. You don't need to worry."

* * *

Elijah walked Damon out, and Stephanie left to clear her head, leaving only Klaus and Lexi in the dining hall.

"Why aren't you leaving with Damon?" Klaus asked with an arched brow, lifting a glass of wine to his lips. He was thrumming with nervous energy, angry that he'd been caught unawares. Bonnie Bennett was channeling Expression? Was there any way to prove it without getting himself killed? Was there any way to get rid of her?

"I wanted to talk to you," Lexi said firmly. "About something you said earlier."

"And what's that, sweet?" Klaus asked her.

"You told Damon that if he really loved Elena, he'd let her go," Lexi said mildly, "Do you really believe that?"

"Of course I do," Klaus snapped, "Honestly, the bird is probably better off without all this nonsense anyway. The offer was perfect; all he had to do was let her go to live her life with the football player or whatever human of her choice. It would have been without pain and fear of anything else happening to her."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Lexi asked slyly, unafraid. "You're listing all the reasons you should let Stephanie go."

"She loves me," Klaus defended.

"Elena loves Damon," Lexi refuted. "And you compelled Stephanie's love for you."

"I didn't, actually," Klaus said tightly, "All I did was compel Stephanie into the state of mind that she was in in all the times that I met her. Really, all I did was bring those thoughts and feelings to the forefront of her mind. I haven't fundamentally  _changed her_."

"But if you had to do that, it isn't really real, is it?" Lexi asked with an arched blonde brow. "Wouldn't it be better if she came to you under her own power? When she  _wasn't_  the Ripper? Then you would  _know_ all of was real."

"It is  _genuine_!" Klaus roared.

"Maybe," Lexi shrugged almost indifferently, "But maybe not. You won't ever know unless you release her of her compulsion and let her come back on her own, if she ever wants to." She stood. "Think that over, Klaus."

She left the hybrid stewing, alone in his dining room.

* * *

Alaric knocked sharply on the heavy wooden door that every home in Mystic Falls seemed to have. It swung inwards in response, clearly not having been shut well enough. Rick tensed; had someone broken into her Meredith's house? Deciding that Elena would be fine alone in the car where he'd left her, he stepped over the Fell threshold. He walked slowly, noting that the lights were all turned off. Nothing appeared to have been broken or taken, which was odd if there had been a break-in. Alaric arrived to an office and ducked in to see if the intruder or Meredith was there.

"Meredith?" He called as he walked over to the desk in the center of the room. On the desk was a box and a cursory look revealed something far more sinister; there was a knife lying nestled inside it almost innocently.

"Alaric?"

Time slowed for a minute and if asked, he would not be able to reclaim those lost seconds. All he would be able to remember is a loud gunshot and then blood spurting from his gut as he slid to the floor with a knife held loosely in his right hand. Blinking slowly up at the gun barrel Meredith was pointing at his face, Alaric lost consciousness.

.

.

.

"Where have you been for the last twenty four hours?"

If Damon was startled to see Elena still awake at dawn, he did not show it. Instead, he quietly sat on Elena's bed, where she was lying down and glaring at him.

"Negotiating peace on our behalf," Damon said, recalling similar circumstances only a year ago, when things had been terribly different and so much less complicated.

"What?" She asked, surprised.

"Elijah invited me over to dinner," Damon explained wryly, "I took Lexi and we talked with Elijah and Klaus and Steph."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you  _bring_ me?" Elena demanded, sitting up and scooting closer.

Damon rolled his eyes. "You have this annoying habit of always getting into trouble, especially around the Original vampires. So I did something smart and decided to tell you about it after the fact."

Elena glared.

Damon continued, "We decided that Klaus would leave us all alone, lest Bonnie go crazy-powerful Expression witchy bitch on their asses."

Elena's glare quickly turned into a look of alarm. "You do realize that Bonnie hasn't channeled Expression, nor would she ever because it requires twelve people as sacrifices?"

Damon smirked. "They don't know that. And Klaus is probably too chicken to go check it out anyway."

"But what happens when they do figure it out?" Elena demanded sharply, "Because they will find out, Damon."

"We'll deal with that as we come to it," Damon dismissed.

"So where were you all night? That dinner couldn't have gone past midnight."

"Drinking," Damon admitted.

"Well, you should have come home," Elena admonished.

"Why? What happened here?"

"Alaric was attacked last night, and it was revealed that Meredith had a concrete alibi, so he went over to apologize for _your_ behavior. I don't know what exactly happened next, but Meredith claims that he went at her with a knife and so she had to shoot him in self-defense," Elena explained grimly.

Damon's face hardened. "Where's he now?"

* * *

"Why are you helping me and my daughter?"

It was the first time that Kol had been alone with the elder Bennett woman; yesterday Bonnie had breathed down their necks. Kol had patiently weathered the behavior, despite the new spell laid upon him that would prevent him from harming even other vampires, and began to teach Abby some of his techniques in control.

Apparently, today was a new day, and Bonnie had actually left them to go to the bathroom.

"Because you need help?" Kol drawled.

Abby scowled. "That's not why."

"I guess a mother always knows," Kol winked. He picked up a coaster from the coffee table and twirled it around his fingers disinterestedly. "My mum was particularly observant; always knew when my little sister and I were getting up to trouble. Once, we charmed one of Niklaus' bullies to always tell the truth; Mum found out real quick." He tilted his head. "Might be a witch thing."

"It's a mother thing," Abby corrected him. "Like you said, a mother always knows." She advanced upon Kol, pointing a finger into his chest. "But I won't be distracted. Why are you helping us? I know that you're a vampire that enjoys causing drama; I can see it in your eyes. So what can you possibly hope to gain from helping us?"

"I like witches," Kol shrugged, "and Bennett witches are particularly powerful. You daughter is brilliant; she would have probably been in the leagues of people like my mother."

"So you're drawn to power?"

"Not particularly, no," Kol said. "Bonnie's just fun."

Abby narrowed her eyes. "You have a  _crush_  on my daughter?"

"I told you he was a psychotic freak," Bonnie's voice announced from the hallway as she rejoined them in the living room.

"But you invited him in?" Abby asked. "I thought that other one would have helped."

Bonnie scoffed. "Damon's an ass too, and I really don't want to talk to any of them right now anyway, Mom. Kol's an obsessive creep, but he's a devoted, obsessive creep. He'll help."

Kol placed his right hand on top of his heart. "Thank you, Bonnie. I'm touched." Bonnie bared her teeth in response. And as if on cue, her phone rang. She looked down and frowned.

"It's Matt," She said for the benefit of her mother, and sighed. She didn't particularly want to talk to him, but really, he'd had nothing to do with what had happened . . . she answered it. "Hello?"

"Now, let's take a field trip so that you can get used to being around other live people besides your lovely daughter . . ." Kol drawled, and beckoned the Bennett's forward. Bonnie walked and talked at the same time.

* * *

Walking side by side together was a harried Sheriff Liz Forbes and a very angry Mayor Carol Lockwood.

"Don't you have suspect yet? It's your duty to keep me in the loop," Carol snapped haughtily.

Liz angrily replied, "No, it's my duty to not accuse an innocent person of being a serial killer."

"Just tell me who it is, Liz," Carol begged, but Liz said nothing, only opening the door of the police department for the other woman. Liz lost Carol in the maze of the department and went to the holding cells. She wasn't surprised to already find Damon Salvatore standing outside Alaric Saltzman's cell, chatting. Immediately, they looked to her when she entered.

"I didn't do it," Alaric told her pleadingly.

"You're arresting him?" Damon demanded, "Just because of what the nut job Dr. Fell says?"

"No, I'm detaining him," Liz corrected, "and it's for his own good." She turned to Alaric, "You were shot; Dr. Fell used vampire blood to heal you."

"Dr. Fell is the one that shot me!" Alaric accused.

"Because you came at her with a knife!" Liz snapped.

"The knife I had found, hidden in her things!"

Damon interrupted, "Are we going to ignore the part where Alaric was one of the killer's victims? Elena says he was practically stabbed to death."

"Dr. Fell suggested that his wounds could have been self-inflicted," Liz stated.

"What? You think I stabbed myself?" Alaric asked incredulously.

"Look, I think I don't know what to think," Liz defended, "I've got nothing but murder weapons from  _your_ stash, and the good word of a Founding Family member pointing a very long finger."

"She is setting me up," Alaric growled, "I've been framed here."

"Look, I don't have any proof of that," Liz said.

"Well, we'll find some," Damon ground out.

"No! Stay out of this, Damon," Liz commanded, "You getting involved in this is only going to make matters worse."

"Listen, Liz –" Damon started.

Liz interrupted, "Don't make me put you in that cell with him!"

The three shared a very tense silence for several seconds. "Fine," Damon said finally, but anyone could have told Sheriff Forbes that he was lying.

* * *

"You know, you can't outrun your problems!" Matt huffed as he and Anna trailed a nearly sprinting Elena.

"But apparently, she can try," Anna wheezed. Elena ignored them and only went faster. "This is a brilliant makeup date," Anna continued, "Instead of a nice night out, we get to follow around your ex-girlfriend while she decides exercise is the only way to get rid of her problems."

Matt winced from both the acerbic words and the growing stitch in his side. "Sorry."

"Next time I get to choose the place and time," She panted.

"I have an idea," Matt murmured to Anna, "and it'll definitely slow her down. Elena!"

She continued to ignore them.

"I talked to Bonnie this morning!" Matt called and predictably, Elena slowed down to a stop in front of a stranger's driveway.

"What did she say?" Elena asked breathlessly.

Matt shrugged. "Kol Mikaelson is trailing her around like a lost puppy and so Bonnie finally decided to put him to work; he's helping out her mom with her control and stuff."

Elena's mouth fell open. "And she trusts him?"

Matt scoffed. "Not even as far as she can throw him  _without_ magic. She put some kind of crazy spell on him that reminds me of that episode of  _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. You know, the one where Spike gets the chip in his head so he can't hurt people?"

Anna deadpanned, "I'm not sure if I should be concerned that you watch that show or not, considering our lives here. And the fact that it's based around a small, blonde cheerleader who is stuck between two vampire lovers and hunts demons for her life occupation."

Matt flushed cherry red.

"So it's the same thing? Kol can't hurt anyone?" Elena questioned, ignoring the fact that her friend watches a supernatural vampire show that contained events that very easily could have happened in their own lives.

"Not that he was apparently trying anyway, since he kind of helped put Klaus down," Matt explained, "but yeah."

"And that lasted for about a day and half," Anna drawled, "So it totally means something."

"Did she say anything else?" Elena asked.

"She doesn't blame you," Matt said softly, "Bonnie's just angry at how things turned out. Her mom is a vampire and she doesn't really know how to deal with that."

"She just got her back too," Elena sighed. "And now there's all this trouble with Alaric and Meredith . . . and that serial killer."

"Maybe we could help clear his name," Anna suggested, "I mean, not that I'm close to the guy or anything, but he's been dealt a poor hand by anyone's standards."

Matt and Elena exchanged contemplative glances.

"Let's do it," Elena decided.

They hunted down Meredith Fell, which took a good chunk of time as they asked her friends and neighbors, checked her work schedule with some quick speed talking and a distraction in the form of a disruptive Anna, but finally managed to pin her down.

She was leaving her car to enter the hospital when they caught her.

"I'm due in surgery," Meredith snapped when she saw them waiting for her. "Whatever case you're going to make for Alaric, make it quick."

"I don't have to make a case, he didn't do anything," Elena took the lead.

"How do you know?" Meredith asked. "Sure, he lives with you, he takes care of you, but do you really know anything about him?"

"Alaric's a good guy," Matt defended.

"And I know enough," Elena told the doctor.

"Let me tell you what I know," Meredith said flatly as she finally stopped and faced the group of teenagers. "He was arrested four times under the age of 21. When he was at Duke, his future wife Isobel filed a restraining order against him. Twice," She smiled nastily, "Although, then she married him, so I guess that says more about her."

"I think you're making all of this up," Elena told her plainly.

"Am I?" Meredith tilted her head, "You took pity on a borderline alcoholic vampire hunter and you never thought to look any deeper."

"How could you do this to him?" Elena was unaffected, as far as anyone could see. "He didn't kill anyone, and you know it."

"You date vampires, Elena," Meredith said, face pulled into an expression of clear disdain, "so it shouldn't come to any surprise that your guardian is a murderer." She turned around and walked away, leaving the teenagers in the parking lot.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked primly as Damon started to rifle through the enormous library at the Salvatore Boarding House.

"The better question is, what are _you_  doing  _here_?" Damon responded.

"Let's see," Caroline said sarcastically, ticking off her fingers, "Bonnie's not talking to anybody; Matt, Anna, and Elena are playing superspy and didn't invite me; Tyler is off in the mountains being a manly man while trying to break the sire bond; my mom is freaking out over the murders; Stephanie is still in the clutches of the evilest dudes in existence; and Lexi is nowhere to be found. Where would you have me be, Damon?"

Damon rolled his eyes, despite the fact that the blonde couldn't see him do it and therefore appreciate him. "Pity party for Vampire Barbie," He said dryly.

Caroline huffed.

"I'm trying to dig up clues," Damon relented, "We have a Whodunit in town. I remember back in 1912, Zacharias Salvatore had a funeral. If my memory serves, he wasn't the first Founder's Council member killed that year, let alone that month."

"So?" Caroline shrugged. "Do you think the same thing is happening now that happened then?"

"Forget what they say about blondes, Barbie; you're just brilliant," Damon drawled.

"Well, what happened?" Caroline demanded.

"1912 was the year that Mystic Falls had its very own serial killer," Damon explained to her, "and there hasn't been one around since."

Caroline's eyes widened. "Okay. So what are we going to do?"

"'We?'"

"Well, I mean, your girlfriend is busy and your usual crime solving partner is homicidal right now," Caroline explained, "I figured you needed a new beautiful lady to help you answer some questions."

Damon rolled his eyes, but acquiesced. "Let's just hope that you continue to leave the blonde stereotype in the wind, then."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Caroline sniffed and led the way out.

.

.

.

"Why did we come to the Mystic Grill?" Caroline asked disdainfully. "I thought we were trying to solve a murder. A series of murders, in fact."

"I think well when I'm a little drunk," Damon smirked. His blue eyes danced as he searched out a place at the bar to sit. They sparkled when they fell upon a lone figure in skinny jeans, boots, and a dark blue crop top. "Well, look who the cat dragged in; my usual crime solving partner. I guess you're unnecessary after all, Caroline," He drawled as he plopped down next to Steph. "I'll have bourbon," He told the barman and then turned back to Steph. Caroline took a seat on her other side and ordered sweet tea.

Stephanie rolled her eyes heavenward. "What do you want, Damon?"

"Can't I just visit my baby sister?" He asked playfully.

"No."

"I suppose that's true enough," Damon allowed, "I mean, does Klaus even know that you're off the leash and running around town without him escorting you?"

"I'm not a pet," Stephanie growled.

"Sure act like one," Damon pointed out, "If you came back over to the light side, we'd give you cookies  _and_  freedom."

"Damon, let up," Caroline commanded.

"I really don't need you to defend me, Caroline," Stephanie said dryly.

"I'm on your side, dumbass," Caroline snapped, "so shut up."

"And the claws come out," Damon grinned. "Shall I place bets?"

"Shut up, Damon," The girls chorused.

"So, you know all about the serial killer, right?" Caroline asked the other girl.

"Um, yeah?" Stephanie squinted. "Your point?"

"Well, we're going to solve the mystery. Maybe you could help?" Caroline suggested, batting her pretty eyes.

"N-"

"So, what does a medical examiner, a random council member, and Alaric Saltzman have in common?" Damon asked her instead of waiting for her dismissal.

"They're all on the Founder's Council," Stephanie said, arching a brow and giving in for the time being, "It's a little obvious."

"But why them?" Damon wheedled, "Bryan Walters and Alaric aren't Founding Families. I mean, hey, if you're going to slaughter Council members, at least go a-list. At least in 1912 they killed a Salvatore."

"'At least,' he says," Caroline mocked.

"Our family name was big back then," Damon defended.

"Yeah, until you killed our last living relative," Stephanie pointed out.

Damon dismissed that with a hand wave. "Nah. Our line was doomed when Zach decided he wasn't going to get married and pop out some kids."

"How did your line even continue?" Caroline asked them. "I mean, neither of you, uh . . .?"

"Procreated?" Damon grinned lecherously.

"Grow up," Stephanie told him frankly and turned to Caroline, "No. Our father had an affair with one of the maids during the Civil War. She was sent away with the child, but as far as everyone else knew, Damon and I were dead. They needed the Salvatore name to keep on, so they found her and the last heir and brought them back to Mystic Falls. The little boy inherited everything."

"Did your mom know?" Caroline asked and bit her lip. "Sorry, that bit was nosy."

"Our mother was dead by then," Damon cut in roughly, "Stephanie was like seven. I was fourteen. Our father soon forgot about her and began hooking up with the help."

"Did they ever catch the killer?" Caroline changed the subject. "That other serial killer back in 1912?"

"Nope," Damon said, "They decided to blame the nasty, evil vampires."

"Maybe it was," Caroline suggested. "I mean, it could have been." Her eyes subtly slid to Stephanie's form.

"Yeah, maybe it was a vampire," Stephanie cut in, though her eyes were glued to Damon.

"I thought it was you for a while too, sister," Damon said mildly, "but I realized that was silly. We were together nearly the entire time that the murders had started. And there were no other vampires around, so."

Stephanie stilled. "There was one. Sage."

Damon immediately smirked. "Ah, Sage. She was a fun girl."

"I'm going to guess this was one of your old girlfriends," Caroline suggested.

"She taught me a lot of things about being a vampire," Damon revealed, eyes glassy, "How to seduce my meals. She was great." His eyes cleared. "Do you really think it was her?"

Stephanie shrugged and drank some of her dirty martini. "The Council wouldn't have thought a mere woman was capable of slaughtering innocents, so it's possible."

The three vampires sat in contemplative silence.

* * *

"You have to agree Sheriff, there's no motive here." Alaric felt like he'd been arguing with Liz Forbes the entire day from inside of his cell. He was getting a little desperate.

"Look," Liz sighed heavily, "Both the medical examiner and the other Council member got into altercations with Meredith Fell for various reasons before their deaths. She said you were witness to her fight with Ryan Walters."

"So – so what are you saying, that I was defending her honor?" Alaric asked incredulously. "I barely knew her then."

"She also said that she told you that the other Council member was going to complain to the board for giving her vampire blood," Liz continued.

"No, she didn't!" Alaric threw his hands up into the air.

Doubtfully, Liz clarified, "A 2 AM call on the night he was killed? I pulled your records; you spoke with her for over an hour."

Alaric felt bone deep confusion; he had absolutely no recollection on that conversation, though he knew he'd had one. "Okay, I uh, yes, I – I remember calling her," Alaric admitted and sat down on the metal bench in the cell. He rubbed his face with his hands tiredly. "I was drinking and I don't remember the conversation."

"Well, do you have an alibi for the night Bryan Walters was killed?" Liz asked him.

"I was there the night of the bridge fundraiser," Alaric said, "Until midnight – you saw me there!"

"The time of death was between one and three AM," Liz said.

"Well then, I-I must have been home, sleeping," Alaric said and he was sure his confusion and fear was leaking onto his face. "I'm sure of it." Liz only looked at him, and Alaric felt the uncertainty within him rise.

* * *

"First we stalked her, now we're breaking and entering," Anna said to herself, "I wonder when we'll be arrested."

"Knock on wood," Matt muttered.

"Okay, look, I don't know how long Meredith is going to be in surgery, so let's see what we can find," Elena told them.

"Don't you think the police already combed through this place?" Matt asked dubiously as they spread out to search the house. "She handed over everything she had."

"Well, we're looking for what she didn't hand over," Elena informed him.

"Are we sure that it's her we should be investigating?" Anna asked curiously, "That stuff she was saying about your history teacher sounded pretty convincing."

"You're the one that said you'd thought he'd been dealt a bad hand in life," Elena pointed out, "You can't back out now."

"I'm just saying maybe we should put some stock into what Dr. Fell is saying," Anna said, offended, "You did kind of invite an adult that you've known for like a year and a half, maybe two years into your house without knowing a whole lot of his background. And you do date homicidal vampires."

"Anna, cool it," Matt murmured.

"I know him, guys," Elena said, "and he's innocent. And I know that Meredith's a Fell; a member of the Founding Families. Which means . . ." She trailed off as she headed towards a closet in the office they were investigating. She turned on the light and felt around the walls and shelves. She knocked on the back wall and from the sound it, it could be nothing but hollow. "Skeletons in the closet; like a true Founder."

She stepped out of the closet and let Matt go in front of her. He ducked down and fiddled with the wall until a loose panel opened. He pulled out a box, revealing files on the Councilman, Bryan Walters, and Alaric Saltzman.

Elena flipped through the files, her frown becoming more and more etched into her face as time went on. "She was everything on him; medical records, court documents."

"Looks like I missed a journal when I was hunting around town a couple of years ago," Anna said and plucked up an old diary from the box. "It's an old Gilbert journal."

"Why would Meredith have one of your family's old journals in her closet?" Matt asked Elena disbelievingly.

"I don't know," Elena shook her head.

"Didn't they say that the medical examiner's time of death was between one and three?" Matt asked as he found something new.

"Yeah, why?" Elena asked distractedly.

"Because the county's coroner's office says that's wrong," Matt told them grimly. He handed over the paper. Just as Elena peered down at it, they heard footsteps echoing across wooden floors.

"Run," Anna whispered and they very quickly boxed back up the files and hid in the closet. They huddled together in the dark, barely breathing.

"I think-" Anna put a finger to Matt's lips and shook her head.

Another door shut and Elena turned on the light. Anna opened the door, only to find Meredith Fell waiting for them with crossed arms and vicious glare.

* * *

"So, let's say it really was Sage killing everybody in 1912," Damon theorized, "Who the hell is doing it now?"

"Well, the Originals are in town," Caroline said pointedly.

Stephanie shook her head sharply. "No, it's not them or me. I may kill indiscriminately, but I do it outside of town."

"How comforting," Caroline muttered.

"It's not Dr. Fell; she's a woman. There's no way she could stab three full grown men. Maybe it's Kol," Damon mused, "He's a loose cannon." He looked to Steph, who shrugged.

"He hasn't been in the house much at all," She admitted, "I don't know what he does all day."

"We could ask him," Caroline suggested and pointed a hand over to the dart board, where Kol was talking to Abby Bennett and Bonnie was glowering next to them. "I can't imagine what he's doing with Bonnie, though . . ." As if summoned, Kol looked up at them group and grinned, dark eyes sparkling. He waved cheerfully.

"I guess it's now or never," Caroline said dubiously.

"I know him from somewhere," Damon squinted, "From before this whole thing with Klaus."

"We met in New Orleans," Stephanie told him, bored. "You bonded over some drunken male stupidity, I don't know."

Damon's brows shot up. " _Really,_ now? That is interesting. Let's go say hello." He jumped off his stool, abandoning his empty glass, and sauntered over to the dart boards. Caroline followed and Stephanie slowly trailed them, pretending to be uninterested.

"Hello there," Kol drawled, "What brings you over to this side of the Grill?"

"Your suspicious face," Caroline snapped.

Kol clucked his tongue. "Now that wasn't very nice."

"Please don't get him started," Bonnie rubbed the bridge of her nose, "He's like a child."

"Why are you hanging around like harried babysitter then?" Damon asked curiously.

"Well, none of you came back to help with my mom," Bonnie snapped, "not that I really wanted to see any of you anyway." Caroline looked away, hurt, and Bonnie sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad anymore."

"That's nice, Judgy, 'cause we need to borrow you wayward vampire for a bit," Damon indicated Kol with a sharp nod. "He might be suspect to the murders going around."

"Based on what evidence?" Kol asked amusedly.

"You're a psycho?" Damon suggested.

"He's been with us for a while now," Abby said, surprising the others. She sounded like she was trying not to breath in the air, for fear of smelling the blood permeating it.

"And before that he was stalking me," Bonnie told them, "so I don't think he's had much time to premeditate some murder. Anyway, if it was him, it should stop now."

"How do you figure that?" Steph drawled.

Giving her a sharp look, Bonnie said, "Because I neutered him, essentially."

Kol winced. "I wouldn't exactly put it like  _that_." Caroline and the Salvatore's exchanged bemused looks.

"I put a spell on him so that he can't hurt anyone," Bonnie elaborated with a tiny smirk on her face.

"Oh, oh, like that episode in  _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_?" Caroline asked and she garnered several blank looks in response. "Um, never mind."

"The point is, even if I was the one killing people – which I'm not," Kol said, "I couldn't possibly continue. So I guess you'll have to move on to your next suspect. Sorry about that."

"I guess, thanks anyway?" Caroline asked.

"It's been a pleasure," Kol smirked then swiveled his head towards Damon. "Oh, and that Sage woman? Whatever happened to her after 1912?"

Damon furrowed his brows, "Why the hell do you want to know?"

"She was the one and only vampire my brother Finn ever turned," Kol revealed, "And Finn will probably be wanting to know if she's a alive and well. So to speak, anyway."

"I don't know what happened to her," Damon said in a moment of spontaneous kindness, "We flew the coop shortly after meeting her. Our fling was passionate, but short lived."

"How romantic," Caroline muttered.

"That's how most of Damon's romantic life is cataloged," Stephanie dismissed, "Elena and Katherine are the exceptions, not the rule."

"Well, this chat has been great, nice talking to you, Judgy, Mrs. Judgy, and Kol," Damon ended the conversation. "We've got a murder to solve, and talking to you here hasn't proved to be helpful."

"No one's making you stay," Bonnie told him, and he shrugged before taking off, looking expectantly back at Caroline and Steph.

"I'm actually going to stay here, if that's okay," Caroline said and shot a look at Bonnie. The witch bit her lip, and then nodded. Caroline beamed.

"I'm out too, Damon," Stephanie said unapologetically.

The only male Salvatore was left alone and grumbling at the bar.

* * *

"What were you thinking?" Sheriff Forbes demanded as she brought the three teenagers into her office. "Really, I'd like to know."

"Look, I know we were wrong," Elena started.

"'Wrong?' You broke the law!" Liz snapped.

"I  _knew_  we were going to get arrested," Anna muttered.

"But we found something!" Elena told her, "It clears Alaric's name; it gives him an alibi at the time of the murder." Liz picked up a piece of paper and showed it to them.

"You mean this?"

"What is that?"

"It's a letter from county coroner's office correcting the time of death of Bryan Walters. Meredith Fell received it today, and brought it in several hours ago full of apologies for accusing an innocent man." She let the letter drop angrily on her desk.

"Why would she hide a copy of the letter in her closet?" Matt asked.

"I can't ask those questions, Matt," Liz barked, "because the very fact that you broke into her home to find it! Do you know how much I'm already protecting the three of you?"

Elena deflated. "I'm sorry."

Liz sank into her chair. "Just get out of my office and go home. Please. Alaric will be released as soon as the letter has been authenticated. Go."

Without having to be told three times, the three teenagers escaped the office as quickly as they could.

"You need me to take you home?" Matt asked Elena.

"No," She shook her head. "I'm going to go look for Damon to tell him about Rick, and he's probably at the Grill. Do you think you could take me there?"

"Sure," Matt said, after sharing a quick look with Anna. "Let's get going."

They drove in the quiet night and found that locating Damon would be easier than they'd initially thought; he was standing outside the Grill alone, heading off into the street. Matt honked at him from the truck, making the vampire look up.

"I've got your girlfriend in my car," Matt said lightly, "You want to take her home?"

"Sure," Damon smirked and Elena hopped out of the truck, waving back to her friends.

"Wait!" Matt called and tossed something out the window. Damon snatched it. "It's your family's journal."

"Thanks, Matt!" Elena grinned, and Matt and Anna pulled away, leaving the other couple in the dust.

"So, how was your day?" Damon asked, "And why did Matt have a Gilbert journal?"

"Busy," Elena smiled and took his hand. "And it's a long story. Actually, it's Jonathan Gilbert's granddaughter's journal."

"Then we have a lot to share then," Damon said. "And I think I knew her. She was a little crazy."

"We can share when we get home," Elena told him, "we should be there before Alaric."

Damon's brows arched. "What?"

"Like I said, it was a busy day."

* * *

Stephanie found Elijah and Klaus in the drawing room, and the older brother looked ready to go out. "What's going on?"

"I'm just trying to persuade Niklaus to come with me away from Mystic Falls," Elijah said evenly, "If the Bennett witch really does possess the power of Expression, then it would be best if we did not antagonize her with our presence, truce or no truce."

"And I was just saying that I think Damon was bluffing," Klaus grinned with all of his teeth.

"We shouldn't take that chance," Elijah retorted.

"Leave if you wish, brother, but I think Stephanie and I will stay for a while longer," Klaus said coolly. Elijah sighed.

"If that is your desire. I wish you well," Elijah said resignedly. He nodded towards Stephanie and then Klaus, he disappeared into thin air. They were alone in the hall, the only ones left in the Mikaelson Mansion.

"Let's go up to bed," Klaus said, suddenly tired. He looked as if all of his strings had been cut.

"Okay."

* * *

The Gilbert home was quiet except for the soft sound of rustling pages; Alaric was seated in the armchair, resting, and Damon reclined on the couch with Elena lying almost in his lap, reading the Gilbert journal. It was a peaceful setting.

Until Damon received a text. The others looked at him, but Damon ignored them in favor of opening the text message.

STEPH

He felt his brows arch; Stephanie was texting him?

THOUGHT ABOUT THE MURDERS FOR A WHILE. REMEMBERED SOMETHING. NO ONE WAS ARRESTED FOR THE 1912 MURDER, BUT THERE WAS A CONFESSION SEVERAL YEARS LATER. IT WAS SAMAMTHA GILBERT.

"That's impossible . . ." Damon muttered just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Alaric said and he hopped up. There was an tense discussion that Damon barely even noticed, so enthralled in his own thoughts.

"Damon?" Elena spoke up, "I think there's something in here that will help us find out who the murderer is."

Damon looked at her. "What?" he narrowed his eyes. "Isn't that Samantha Gilbert's journal?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying," Elena said grimly.

"Steph just texted me and said that Samantha confessed to murdering those people," Damon said quickly, "which is impossible, because I killed Samantha before that happened. And she wasn't a vampire."

"She had a ring to bring her back," Elena said, dawning horror settling on her face. "Alaric has the same ring."

They jumped up at the same time and scrambled to the foyer, only to find it empty. The hurried to the kitchen, where Alaric and Meredith stood together, their faces grim. The adults looked their way.

"We think we know who is murdering people," Elena said tensely.

"So do we," Alaric told them, brows furrowed, "It's me. I'm the killer."


	13. this place about to blow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking  
> Can't we give ourselves one more chance?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers! We're in the home stretch; there will only be one more chapter of this story, then I'll try and post the soundtrack. Hopefully soon thereafter I'll post the next story in this series. It will be set during season four and the tentative title right now is "timshel."
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes used/borrowed.
> 
> Warnings: This chapter is short at 5k (compared to the usual 7k – 9k words I usually write) and kind of filler-esque, bridging the gap towards the action of the follow chapter(s).

Lying in the bed of the cold MRI machine was uncomfortable and Alaric debated upon whether or not he should try to sleep through the process. The machine hummed. Out in the hall, he could hear Elena and Meredith speaking quietly to each other, murmuring about his "condition" and how exactly they were going to find what was wrong with him and his brain. He supposed having a tumor in his head was better than just plain going crazy.

The bed slid forwards and Alaric caught sight of his self in the mirror hovering above his face. Distantly, Elena and Meredith's conversation – now about when and how she'd come to suspect him – slowly started to quiet as the MRI began to begin. Alaric looked up and met his own eyes in the mirror and for a second his lips curled up into an unfamiliar smirk and his eyes glinted with a spark of maliciousness. Alaric's breathing became irregular and his heart pounded in his ears.

"Is everything alright in there?"

"Everything's fine."

.

.

.

Afterwards, Elena went to check on Alaric as he retrieved his belongings that he'd had to leave before the MRI.

"Meredith says everything looks alright," Elena announced. She was conflicted; it wasn't like she  _wanted_  something to be wrong with Rick, but she did want a definite answer to whatever was plaguing the man she'd grown close to, looked at as a sort of mentor, someone like family. And if it had to be a medical problem . . . well, she just wanted answers and she wanted to help Alaric.

"That's because there isn't anything wrong with me," Alaric grouched. "I didn't kill Bryan Walters, I didn't kill that other council member, and I sure as hell didn't shove a hunting knife into my stomach." Almost as if one, both Elena and Rick's eyes were drawn to the Gilbert ring still sitting on the countertop. Softer, Alaric admitted, "Or I did and am going insane, just like your ancestor who wore this ring."

Elena dragged her gaze away from the piece and jewelry and steeled herself. "Well, I'm going to call Bonnie; the rings were made by a Bennett witch, so maybe a witch can reverse the damage."

Alaric used his fingers to scoot the ring across the countertop. "Take it. I don't want it anymore."

Elena looked up at him, expression soft. She picked up the ring with slender fingers and held it in her palm. The metal was cool to the touch and still somehow untarnished, just like the Salvatore's daylight rings. As if her thoughts had called him, Damon arrived and leaned a hand on to the doorway.

"Well, are we ready to leave this house of horrors yet? Hospitals tend to give me the creeps since the good doctor blood-jacked me. Do you know how violated I felt?" Damon's blue eyes swept the room and when they fell on Elena for a few seconds, she seemed to warm from the inside out. He looked at Rick. "Ooh, you look rough, buddy."

Alaric seemed to need the humor, and he forced a smile. "Yeah, let me check out of here." He brushed between Elena and Damon and the couple followed him out.

"Don't worry so much," Damon murmured to Elena as their hands found each other. "I'll take him out for a drink and make sure he doesn't kill anybody."

Elena sighed. "Just keep an eye on him. I need to go over to Bonnie's and talk to her about the ring. Maybe she'll know what to do."

* * *

Somehow, Meredith had managed to force her way into Alaric and Damon's men-only day, and went with them to the construction site of the new Wickery Bridge. Damon pouted for several minutes before deciding he'd just annoy the woman into leaving. But she wasn't nearly as easy to irritate as others he knew.

Carol Lockwood interrupted them before anything serious could break out, by intercepting Alaric. "Alaric! Thank goodness you're here! Did you bring it?"

Alaric's brows furrowed and he exchanged a confused glance with Damon. "Um?"

Carol's eyes narrowed. "The sign?"

"What sign?" Damon asked.

"The restored Wickery Bridge sign?" She put her hands onto her hips. "The History Department promised me that they'd have the sign ready today."

Alaric's face scrunched. "I'm sorry. I – I – I don't have the sign today; it must have slipped my mind. I've been . . . busy."

Carol must have seen something on Alaric's face, because she began to backtrack. "Well, it's not an emergency. I'm sure we can unveil it when the bridge is complete." She turned around and went to attend to the construction men once more.

"Get me out of here," Rick muttered to Meredith.

The doctor grinned. "My pleasure."

Just as Damon was going to argue, he saw someone who looked like they'd stepped right out of his past. "I'm going to stick around for a bit," He drawled slowly and met the red head's eyes. She smiled at him, a slow movement of her lips that was terribly arousing for man with a girlfriend.

"Who's that?" Alaric saw her too.

"A flash from the past," Damon smirked.

"Don't break Elena's heart," Rick warned him, "or else I'll blame the insanity for when I kill you in your sleep, and then there will be nothing anyone can say about it."

"Of course not, Rick," Damon waved his concerns away and left the couple behind him. He swaggered over to Sage, completely aware of Meredith and Alaric's burning eyes on his back.

"Damon Salvatore," Sage greeted, eyes dancing in delight, "my favorite student."

"Sage," Damon smirked, "my hottest teacher. What are you doing back here?"

"Just passing through," Sage waved away his question.

Damon was not to be deterred. "Oh, no one ever just passes through Mystic Falls, Sage. Why are you really here?" If she so much as whispered the word doppelgänger . . .

"Since you asked so nicely," Sage acquiesced, "I heard that Finn was finally freed of the casket his brother locked him nine hundred years ago. I came to find him."

"You two were a thing." It wasn't a question, though Damon made sure to wiggle his brows suggestively.

"Finn turned me to be with him forever," Sage said, "but then Klaus daggered him and put into a coffin, carting him around the world."

"Well, you're not going to find your long lost lover here."

Sage narrowed her eyes. "Oh?"

"Finn left town a while ago, as soon as he got a taste of vengeance." Damon explained to her dryly, "Of course, Klaus managed to get himself free just a day later, so it was a bit of let down as far as revenge goes."

"Klaus is still running around?" Sage's lip curled.

"With my dear little compelled sister." Damon grimaced. "And there's not a thing I can do about it."

"If you kill him, the compulsion wears off," Sage pointed out. "Not that anyone's gotten close to killing Niklaus since the Original Father."

"Well, Mikael's dead and his stake with him," Damon drawled, "and anyway, we couldn't kill Klaus even then. If the Original who created your line of vampires dies, so does that entire line. And you'll never guess who created our line." He scowled.

Sage's eyes lit with barely contained humor. "Klaus. That  _is_  irony for you."

"Tell me about it." Damon rolled his eyes.

"Do you know where Finn was headed?" Sage changed the subject.

Damon shrugged, almost apologetic. The guy had tried to help them, after all. "Nope. He took off like a bat out of hell and hasn't made any contact since. I might try asking Elijah; he's pretty chill and probably won't try to kill his brother when he finds him. I'd stay away from Rebekah, who I think has left town anyway."

Sage nodded. "He probably went looking for me. Thank you for your help, Damon. I'll try to repay you in the future, after I've found Finn. Keep your eyes open for it when it comes." The ginger haired vampire disappeared into thin air, leaving Damon in the dust.

* * *

"Mom?" Bonnie called. The house was empty and worry was rising in her gut. "Mom?" She stepped out the back door and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her mother standing in the small garden they kept in the back. Abby was completely still and was looking particularly grey that morning.

"Today's a bad day."

Bonnie, used to Kol's impromptu appearances, didn't even jump this time, though her heart did skyrocket. "What?"

Kol gave Bonnie a significant look. "Listen to her."

Bonnie frowned, but took a step closer and could only just make out the quiet mutterings her mother was making. "I can't feel it anymore. The garden; it's gone. I can't feel anything." Abby repeated the three sentences again and again, filling Bonnie up with dread and sorrow.

"She's been like this all morning," Kol confided and his face was drawn. Bonnie was surprised to see . . . empathy there? But of course, Bonnie couldn't believe she'd forgotten even for a moment. He'd been through this before, near a thousand years ago.

"It feels like someone ripped part of your soul out," Kol explained, voice cold. "And you never really get it back, no matter how many years pass. The earth feels dead, even when you're the one that's changed."

Bonnie folded her arms across her chest uncomfortably and Kol's head jerked up. "Someone's at the door," He told her and then as he was wont to do, his entire demeanor did a one-eighty; the almost mournful tone he'd had seconds ago disappeared, replaced by something close to jubilance. "I believe it's the doppelgänger, darling."

Bonnie took a deep breath and nodded. "Watch my mom." She left Kol and Abby in the backyard as she went back to the house and answered the front door.

Elena stood there, shifting her weight from foot to foot awkwardly. "Hey, Bonnie."

"I've got a lot on my mind, Elena," Bonnie said tiredly, "and I really don't have a lot of time for visits right now."

"I know and I'm sorry," Elena bit her lip, "but something terrible has happened to Rick and I need your help."

"Then I guess you should come inside?" Bonnie suggested and Elena stepped over the threshold and explained as quickly as humanly possible what was happening to Alaric.

"There's a spell you can perform to help your friend." Bonnie and Elena turned their heads to see Abby hovering in the entrance to the kitchen. They could hear Kol making a racket next door in the living room. "Sometimes witches need to perform it on each other because they begin to dabble in dark magic. You'll need a personal effect that belonged to him before he wore that awful ring though."

"She's right!" Kol hollered from the living room and Elena shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, then I guess we'd better get over to your house," Bonnie told Elena, and then turned to her mother. "Will you be okay with just Kol here?"

Abby nodded. "I won't leave the house."

"Good. Okay." Bonnie gave her mother a quick hug and then grabbed a few things Abby instructed her to get. At the same time, Elena called Alaric and explained their solution. As she was hanging up, Bonnie was ready to leave.

"We have to run over to his loft and get his wedding ring," Elena explained, "and then we'll be ready to do the spell."

"Sounds good."

* * *

"Alaric, buddy? Elena tells me that we're close to fixing you up," Damon called and shut the heavy door to the Gilbert home. "She's bringing Bon-Bon to do some magic mojo, so that's . . . good. Rick?" The house was eerily silent, which was mightily suspicious at the moment. "Dirty little doctor?"

His phone began to ring.

Damon raised the phone to his ear warily. "Hello?" He walked quietly and slowly, searching for . . . something.

"Damon, oh God, it's worse than we thought." Elena was in near hysterics, which made Damon stiffen. "There are pictures of all of his victims at the loft and there was a note left for Jeremy; he's planning on having him carry on if Rick ever dies. Alaric wrote him a letter and ranted about cleansing the Council – Damon, I think you might need to get over to the house."

"I'm already at your house, Elena," Damon said slowly, "and I don't think –"

"Hey there," Rick came down the stairs, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

"I'll talk to you later, Elena," Damon licked his lips. He ended the call, despite Elena's protests. "Hi, Rick. Where's your little doctor friend?"

"Oh, she got called out to the hospital for a last minute surgery," Alaric explained cheerily. "She'll be back later, she promised."

He nodded. "That's good, I guess." Damon could smell blood. "What happened to your hand?"

"I dropped a coffee mug and sliced open my hand, no big deal," Alaric waved away the concern.

"I can heal you," Damon offered.

"No!"

Damon blinked at the vehemence and Alaric backtracked quickly. "I mean, it's fine, it can heal on its own. I don't want to accidentally turn into a vampire, and with this town, that's actually pretty likely."

"Alright . . ."

"Did you hear from Elena yet?" Alaric asked. "She and Bonnie apparently found a way to help."

"Yeah, I heard from her just a minute ago." Damon tilted his head. "She's on her way."

"Did they get my wedding ring, do you know? That's the personal effect they were getting for the spell."

"You know, I'm really not sure." Damon shrugged.

"Yeah, well, my place is a mess; they might not have found it. I'll have to go look myself if that's the case." Alaric's smile was odd. Damon's eyes drifted to the floor and caught sight of a knife. He looked back up at Rick.

Rick's smile faded and the atmosphere of the hall changed rapidly; Alaric dove for the knife and immediately tried to stab Damon in the heart. Using vampire speed, Damon quickly wrapped his arms around Alaric's neck and deprived him of oxygen until he fell to the floor, unconscious. "Oh, Rick," Damon sighed and then froze.

There was still an overpowering stench of blood drifting from somewhere upstairs. Leaving Alaric alone for the moment, Damon sped away and followed his nose until he found the source of the smell; the bathroom between Jeremy and Elena's bedroom.

He slammed open the door with his shoulder and found Meredith on the floor sitting in a pool of her own blood. "Well, damn." He slid to the floor and gently tore the skin of his wrist, drawing blood, and put it to Meredith's mouth for her to drink.

She slowly came to just as the front door opened again. Faintly, Damon heard Elena and Bonnie cry out at the sight of Rick on the floor, passed out.

.

.

.

Alaric came to in his own bed, blinking against the bright white light streaming through his open window. He groaned. Sitting in the chair next to his bed was a grinning Damon.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alaric managed to ask through his distorted and hazy disposition. He felt a little bit like he was on drugs.

"Just making sure the witch didn't turn you into a toad or a block of salt," Damon drawled. Alaric looked at him with a bemused face.

"Huh?"

"Bonnie did a little spell, nothing to worry about; it was just to keep . . . the killer . . . in you at bay." The smile faded and Alaric clenched his cramping fist.

"What happened to my hand?"

"Let's just say your alter ego is hell bent on killing sympathetic Council members," Damon explained swiftly, "so we're going to pack up some of your stuff and stay over at my place. It's a little like house arrest. Just a _little_  bit."

Alaric sat up in bed, blinking rapidly. "Wait, where's Meredith?"

After a brief moment of indecision, Damon settled on saying, "She'll be fine, Rick."

As Alaric realized what that meant, he slowly laid back down. He'd attacked Meredith sometime last night and had absolutely no recollection of any of it. There really was no doubt that he was the killer after all.

.

.

.

Bonnie found Elena again in the kitchen, doing the dishes and cleaning up the broken mugs. "Hey," she called.

"Hi," Elena greeted. "How's Rick?"

"Abby says that all of the dying and reawakening chipped away at his psyche," Bonnie said quietly, "making it easier for the darkness to take hold." She lifted a glass jar. "These herbs are the binding ingredient for the spell. He needs to take them twice a day; I'll get you more." She looked down and then again at Elena's solemn face. "I'm going to try and get my mom to help me work on the garden, so maybe she'll start to feel like herself again."

"How is she doing?" Elena asked softly.

"The transition's been hard, but I think she's going to be okay." Bonnie played with her hands. "I'm going to get back to my place to make sure she and Kol haven't burned down the house while I've been gone."

"How is it with Kol being there?" Elena wondered. "Is he any help with Abby?"

Bonnie nodded, surprising even herself. "He's been teaching her control and getting her blood. When he doesn't, Caroline does. He's as well-behaved as can be expected, but because of the spell he can't hurt anyone even if he wanted to." She paused. "Kol understands a little of what my mother has been going through and I think she appreciates that a little bit, despite how much she grouches about him being there. He's still a pain in the ass, though."

Elena smiled a little and then said quietly, "I'm really sorry about your mom, Bonnie. If there was anything I or anyone could have done that would have stopped Klaus from retaliating like that . . . you know I would have done it, right?"

Bonnie smiled a little and reached out to hug her friend. "I know. Thanks."

They embraced tightly and when they pulled away, Elena said, "I called Jeremy and he hasn't been contacted by Alaric, so that's one less worry I guess."

"That's good," Bonnie nodded. "I, um, I need to get back home. I'll call you?"

"Sounds great. Um, are you going to be going to school any time soon?"

Bonnie sighed. "I have no idea, but I know I need to. If I get anymore behind . . ."

"I think we're all in the same boat besides Matt and Caroline," Elena said dryly. "Matt because he skips out on most of our adventures – the other day withstanding – and Caroline because she's Caroline. Did you know that she's managing the dance? She's at school today bossing everyone around."

Bonnie arched her brows and shook her head. "No, but it really doesn't surprise me."

Bonnie said goodbye and left and Elena was alone for a few seconds, though she was quickly joined by Damon and Alaric. Alaric had a bag in his left hand and Damon was standing at the other man's shoulder.

"Hey," Elena greeted, "Bonnie just went home." She indicated the glass jar. "Those are the herbs we need to keep Rick on his feet."

"Well, I'm taking him over to my place," Damon told her, "so that I can keep him under lock and key. Figuratively, of course."

"Maybe it shouldn't be figuratively," Alaric said gravely. "I'm a danger to everyone; me, humans, vampires. What if I get the drop on one of you and seriously hurt you? Or worse, kill you?" His eyebrows climbed his forehead. "Maybe I should stay in your pseudo dungeon, Damon. That's got to be the safest thing around, right?"

"Hold up, Rick," Elena said disapprovingly. "With the herbs and the spell, you should be much better, so I don't see why you'd need to stay in that cold and wet dungeon."

"I'll have you know that our dungeon is well insulated and it does not have leaks," Damon said, put out. He crossed his arms. "And anyway, she has a point, Rick. I think it'll be fine if you just stay at the boarding house."

But the reassurances wouldn't sway Alaric; he was becoming more and more firm in his belief that he should be locked up. "No, I want to do this. It only makes sense and I want to protect you guys."

"Alaric," Elena protested.

"I'm doing it," Alaric snapped.

Damon and Elena could only exchange concerned glances.

* * *

At the high school, Caroline reigned queen over everything dance related, regally commandeering the decorations, music, and labor force. She'd gotten the dance committee to come in on that Saturday, and she'd convinced Matt and Anna to help too.

Speaking of, Anna passed her by with a clearly heavily loaded box. "Anna! They need help setting up the tables in the cafeteria, would you go?"

The girl, dressed in all black as per her usual style, sighed. "Caroline. You already asked me to set up these decorations." She waved one of the seventies pin ups from the box.

"Oh, right," The blonde worried her lip. "I'm sorry. I'm distracted. Go on." She waved a hand and the gothic girl only rolled her eyes and picked up her box and continued on her way.

"Aren't you being a little harsh?" Matt called as he joined her.

"I don't know what you what you mean," Caroline sniffed and twirled around.

"Care," Matt deadpanned. "You never forget who you assign stuff to."

"I'm just distracted and busy!" Caroline huffed. "I'm sorry!"

"Does someone need an intervention?" Lexi joined them. "Caroline, do you need some help with this stuff?"

"Yes, thank you," Caroline turned to Lexi and ignored Matt. "I –" She froze. Lexi and Matt both looked at the girl, alarmed; Caroline appeared as if she'd just seen a ghost.

"Caroline?"

"Tyler," Caroline breathed and dropped her clipboard to the ground and sprinted to the open gym doors. Matt and Lexi looked up and saw the hybrid standing there, arms opening to catch his love.

"Caroline." He was beaming as Caroline launched herself into his arms. Tyler twirled her around in the air and they kissed, smiling and giggling. "The sire bond is broken, Care. I'm free."

"Then let's get out of here," Caroline said excitedly. They clasped hands and escaped the gymnasium together, seemingly forgetting about the 70s dance altogether.

"Aw," Lexi murmured to Matt, "I love cheerful endings."

Matt grunted but had a tiny smile as well. "Yeah. I'm glad they're happy too."

"Let's get this dance together so that they can have a good time," Lexi clapped her hands together. "Come on, guys! Let's make this the best dance you've had yet in your high school careers!"

* * *

"Why are you worrying?"

Klaus looked up from his erratic painting. "Why do you think I'm worrying?"

"You only paint like this when there's something wrong," Stephanie pointed out sharply. Klaus was in their bedroom, a large canvas spread out before him. He had numerous paint palates and a cup of wet brushes close at hand. The canvas, at one time blank, was chaotic with shades and tints, and was the only thing that could possibly clue in Steph to Klaus' immediate thoughts that day.

"If Bonnie has Expression, there's nothing to stop her from coming after me," Klaus finally said as he turned back to his art. "But we don't know for sure; it was a good bluff, if it was a bluff at all. If I go check and the Bennett witch has use of Expression, then she'll incinerate me."

"But if she isn't using it, then you're fine," Stephanie said warily. "When would she even have had the time to sacrifice twelve people? Think about this Klaus, between putting you into the ground and then taking care of her recently turned mother, she can't possibly have had a spare moment."

"But there's always a chance," Klaus pointed out. "I haven't lived to be the legend I am without learning a few things, Stephanie."

"Then don't go check yourself," Stephanie said. "You've got to have multiple people you'd be willing to sacrifice to find out, Klaus. This worrying is pointless." She narrowed her eyes. Bonnie and Expression were on Klaus' mind yes, but it wasn't what he was thinking about now. The canvas was full of dark and mournful colors; he was not only worrying, but also thinking deeply about something. Struggling with some truth inside him.

"Why don't you hunting without me, love?" Klaus avoided and asked without so much as glancing at Stephanie.

"Why don't you come? Sitting here isn't going to answer your problems, whether they're really about Bonnie or not." At his surprised look, she elaborated. "I know you well enough to know that's not the only thing you're thinking about, Klaus. I'm not stupid."

Klaus sighed. "I suppose some blood might clear my head a little."

"That's the spirit." Stephanie grinned and offered a hand.

* * *

"So, Alaric just decided to stay in that creepy dungeon?"

"Yeah," Elena sighed. She had come to the decade dance as night had fallen, with Damon as her date. Reluctantly, they'd left Alaric in the cellar/dungeon as per his request; Elena was  _not_  happy about it. "He's trying to protect all of us, but I just don't know . . . it's got to be uncomfortable down there and there's really no reason to do it at all when Damon's perfectly willing to watch him."

"He just wants some say about what happens to him, I guess," Caroline suggested. "I mean, his life is in turmoil right now and there's not much he can do about it." She'd arrived with Tyler on her arm, to the infinite surprise of Elena, though she was delighted at her friends' joy.

Elena sighed again and spotted Matt, Anna, and Tyler all grouped together talking, catching up. "So, Tyler's back."

"I know!" Caroline grinned. "We spent the rest of the day together and Lexi was nice enough to help finish putting stuff up for the dance in my place."

Elena smiled. "I'm glad he's back then. Is the sire bond, you know . . . gone?"

Caroline beamed. "Yes!"

"That's amazing," Elena admitted. "How . . .?"

Caroline's smile turned into a painful grimace. "He changed over and over in the Appalachian Mountains with a pack there. It was truly horrible."

"I'm sorry." Elena's eyes searched the crowd, but couldn't find the face she was searching for. "Do you know where Bonnie is?"

Frowning, Caroline shook her head, "No. I thought maybe she'd come with her creepy stalker."

Elena looked at her incredulously, to which Caroline shrugged.

Elena said, "She doesn't seem too unhappy about having Kol around, but going to the dance together I think is pushing it, Care."

"I was just kidding about the dance," Caroline rolled her eyes, "I'm not sure she even wanted to come at all." She sighed a little. "What about the guy her mom was taking care of? James or something?" Caroline suggested. "You said he was handsome?"

"Jamie, and wouldn't that just be awkward if they'd have come together?" Elena scrunched up her nose and waved a hand.

Caroline shrugged. "I guess . . . I wonder if they've talked at all since Abby turned . . ."

Elena shrugged as well. "I hope everything gets settled between the three of them." Her eyes sought out Tyler again. "Are you sure it's okay for him to be here? Last time he was around Klaus, he was having Tyler compel Jeremy."

"I doubt Klaus is going to escort Stephanie to a high school dance," Caroline deadpanned. The girls sighed again at the thought of their friend. Over by the punch bowl, Matt pulled Anna into a slow dance. Tyler came their way, sliding between couples to reach Caroline.

"Looks like you're wanted," Elena teased and stepped away so her friends could dance.

"So are you." Damon breathed down Elena's neck, making her shiver with pleasure. "Can I have this dance?" Elena looked up at his arresting blue eyes and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Of course."

He pulled her into a slow two-step and they swayed together.

"I know I must have said this earlier, but you're very handsome tonight." Elena rested her head on Damon's chest.

"I'm handsome every night," Damon wiggled his brows.

"So narcissistic," Elena laughed.

"So gorgeous," Damon corrected.

"This might be the only dance we've been to that hasn't ended in chaos," Elena lamented.

"Don't jinx us now," Damon admonished. "With our luck, something  _will_ happen."

"I'm closing my mouth now," Elena told him. "No more jinxing." They relaxed into each other's arms, and simply enjoyed themselves.

* * *

They hunted and Klaus watched.

He watched his Ripper drink and sate her hunger; he watched and felt her twine her curvy body around his; he knotted his hands into her curly hair, meeting her bright green eyes as they kissed. He drank in the sight of her relishing the hunt and joined her in their game of chase and kill. He took her out of Mystic Falls and they went to Atlanta, dancing and feeding and loving in clubs. While Stephanie thought it was just a night out, Klaus was using it to make his final decision.

Because he  _had_  to make a decision. Because despite what he told himself, Klaus knew that that wretched vampire Lexi was right; Stephanie would never truly be his unless she came to him on her own. And she couldn't do that if she was compelled. As they wound down and dawn was just on the horizon, Klaus brought Stephanie back to Virginia. She was high on human blood, thrumming with energy and full of smiles for him. It made what he was about to do worse.

"Stephanie," Klaus murmured as they walked into the Mikaelson Mansion, "I would ask that we could have a talk for a moment."

"Can it wait until later?" She asked with a wry twist of her lips. She kissed his neck and Klaus felt her fangs scrape his jugular, making him shiver. He almost reconsidered.

Gently, he pried her off of him. "No," He said firmly. "It can't."

Stephanie blinked. "Alright." He led her into the living room and they sat down on the lavish couch in front of the fire. The heat from the flames warmed his cold skin and its shadows danced on the opposite wall.

"A man once said," Klaus began, " _If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were_. Someone reminded me of this the other day."

Stephanie stiffened. "Klaus?"

"We may have met when you were under your own free will and you may have fallen in love with me of your own power," Klaus blithely continued as if she hadn't spoken, "but when we met again, this time, you refused. I should have let you be and come to me in your own time; as it is, I've probably put you off for at least a century." He added that bit a little dryly. "I took your free will after I gave you your memories back, when you wouldn't come back to me; weren't ready quite yet to come back to me.

"For that, I am sorry. I hope you'll find it in yourself to forgive me one day and come to love me once more, despite the fact that I'm about to do two unforgivable things. One is for you and one is for me."

"Nik?" Stephanie stood, eyes round. "What are you doing?"

Klaus' blue orbs met her sharp green ones.  _"I'm setting you free."_

_._

_._

_._

**_tbc._ **


	14. i was held in chains but now i'm free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The pull on my flesh was just too strong  
> Stifled the choice and the air in my lungs  
> Better not to breathe than to breathe a lie  
> 'Cause when I opened my body I breathe in a lie
> 
> But oh my heart, was flawed I knew my weakness  
> So hold my hand consign me not to darkness
> 
> So crawl on my belly 'til the sun goes down  
> I'll never wear your broken crown  
> I took the road and I fucked it all away  
> Now in this twilight, how dare you speak of grace."

_._

_._

_._

The only thing she could hear was her borrowed blood in her body rushing to her head; everything else was disjointed and chaotic and  _wrong_. There was a fire in her veins and she wasn't sure if it would go out this time.  _He_  sat on the couch like nothing was matter; he was so  _still_  and  _dead looking_  that Stephanie thought, just for second, maybe he was a manikin. Inanimate. Unreal. And for a moment, just a moment, she felt absolutely nothing.

And then.

And then,  _rage, unadulterated rage_  at this creature who dared call itself a man, this monster who had ripped her away from her life – her happy, if chaotic life – exploded in her chest and filled her up so that she could have breathed blue flame. Beneath that was a hurt so deep that it would cripple her if she so much as thought about it, and so she buried it instead. She focused on the rage, instead, and Stephanie felt her fangs descend and the red capillaries beneath her eyes popped into visibility.

"You destroyed my life," She said, voice dead. Void of any of the emotion she was burning through so quickly, so passionately. There seemed to be a disconnection between her feelings and her expressions.

Klaus's eyes were icy and chilling to the core. He said nothing.

The anger flooded her limbs and seemed to give them life. Stephanie pointed a finger into her lover's face. " _You destroyed my life!"_  She roared, " _You_! And I will  _never_  forgive you for that, Klaus!" She slapped him across the face, raking her blood red finger nails over his cheek. It drew blood but in seconds, all was healed. "If you so much as dare come near me or my – my – the people of Mystic Falls," She stuttered over the word friends; they all probably hated her now. No use calling them friends, "I will find a way to kill you Klaus, so help me. I'll find out whether Bonnie is wielding Expression or not and I  _will come after you_  until you are breathing your last dying breath."

Klaus said nothing, only standing damnably still with his expressionless face, and let Stephanie rage and scream. She pulled her long, curly hair that  _he_  so loved, and spun, picking up a glass vase and throwing it at Klaus; he ducked, of course, but the vase smashed into the painting behind him hanging on the wall, and the floor was littered with a million crystalline shards.

Still, he said nothing.

"I hate you," She whispered, "and I'm never coming back. Not again." Stephanie shoved her right fist into her mouth to keep from sobbing and fled the Mikaelson Mansion on foot. She wanted to get out of the heels and the short skirt she was wearing; she wanted to burn her revealing blouse and wipe off the eyeliner and mascara that decorated her face. But what she really wanted was to tear the ring off of her finger and step into the sun, bathing in its golden rays as it burned her body from the inside out.

Stephanie didn't do any of these things.

Instead, she went into town in the dark of the night and went to the Grill, where she smashed a window to get inside; there, she raided the alcohol, but left a hundred dollars on the counter. She laughed; as if one hundred dollars could make her guilt go away for breaking and entering, for murdering hundreds of people and ripping them from their lives before their time was up, for torturing them in a game.

Steph threw back her head and laughed until she cried, sinking to the floor, her back sliding along the bar.

She did not get up for a very long time.

* * *

Klaus moved very quickly as soon as Stephanie left the property; he picked up the coffee table and flung it across the room, and then did the same with the flat screen television. He raged and roared, thundering along the mansion and destroying property along the way  _(walls and tables and chairs, oh my)_ until he got to the room he'd paint in. There were numerous canvases and the majority was pictures of  _her_. Laughing, smirking, crying, hunting; all parts of Stephanie Salvatore's life with Klaus Mikaelson. All fake, he had to remind himself, but the thought didn't help his rage subside.

It only amplified it.

With a scream of terrible hurt and anger, Klaus grabbed the nearest canvas and ripped it straight down the middle with clawed fingers. He used the pieces to smash and tear through the others, snarling and – dare he admit it to anyone but himself – crying. As he slowed down, clarity began to return to him; the anger cooled into an icy weapon in his gut, ready to be utilized at a moment's notice. His fingers were still trembling as he strode out of the room, and he was so focused that he did not notice the carnage of his house, not that he would have cared.

A new thought began to bloom.

Maybe Stephanie would return in a hundred years, maybe in two hundred. He would wait; he was a moderately patient man, and some things were worth waiting for. But he had to reign in his emotions and focus on his next goal. Because he  _did_  have another goal. He'd told Stephanie he was going to do two unforgivable things that night, and he'd only done one so far.

Next, he was going to get the doppelgänger, because damned if he was going to leave Mystic Falls without at least one of the things he'd come for.

Elena Gilbert wasn't an easy target despite what many would think, but she stayed at the Salvatore Boarding House on many occasions and Klaus supposed he ought to thank his lucky stars that she was doing so that very night. The human history teacher they'd befriend was staying there, in the dungeon because of God knows what reason, and that witch Lexi Branson wasn't there, thankfully. The doppelgänger and her Salvatore lover were asleep in Damon's bed.

Klaus entered the house as quietly as a ghost and made a quick detour to the dungeon, where he peeked in on the human; Saltzman was asleep in the cot with plenty of blankets and a pillow. There were piles of books and bit of alcohol, but still, it was undoubtedly a prison. Despite the night he'd had, Klaus was feeling a little altruistic; he unlocked the door to the cell. Whatever the poor bastard had done, surely it wasn't worth sitting in a cold dungeon cellar.

Then he flashed up to Damon Salvatore's bedroom and found the younger vampire with his human lover wrapped up in each other, sleeping soundly. Both appeared calm and happy and Klaus felt a flash of jealousy that made him bare his teeth and clench this fist; he'd had this. He'd had this little piece of normalcy with Damon's sister. Hesitating no longer, Klaus bent and slipped the doppelgänger into his strong arms and left the Salvatore Boarding House behind him like a bad memory.

His next stop, the hospital.

* * *

When Alaric had woken up and the door to the prison was unlocked, he waited around for a few a while; surely Damon or Elena had come to give him food or something? What time was it anyway? But minutes passed and then maybe an hour and so Alaric left his prison cell, lest something be wrong. Upstairs, the boarding house was still and quiet in the night.

He frowned, unsettled. Why open the door to his cell?

Then he remembered the strong opposition both Elena and Damon had had with him staying in the dungeon in the first place and glowered. It was only for everyone's protection; he'd killed already and attacked some of his friends. What would keep him from hurting Damon or Elena or one of his other sympathetic students? He'd only had their best interests at heart. But if they truly felt strong enough to sneak to his cell in the dead of night to let him out, he'd just go to his own loft like they originally mentioned.

Alaric had had some of the witchy herbs before he'd gone to sleep, and while he couldn't remember exactly when he was supposed to the take them again, he could always call in the morning. Huffing a little at teenagers and their inability to let Alaric make his own decisions, the history teacher grabbed his car keys and shuffled out the door. He paused, and turned back to scribble a quick note, leaving it on the fridge for easy viewing. He didn't want anyone to worry, after all.

He drove to his loft and settled in for bed, setting his alarm to an early setting so he'd wake before Damon and Elena would begin to worry.

* * *

Sage was a vampire of many vices, including utilizing her beauty and allures to bring men to bed with her, where she'd sleep with and then drain them. She hadn't always, though. Once upon a time, Sage had been a little ginger girl who lived with her parents and their farm in a small village. She had no brothers or sisters and was spoiled; her father was a fairly wealthy landowner, especially for such a small town, and so she and her mother had wanted for nothing.

Except there was always something missing.

As she grew up, Sage thought the longing in her breast for adventure was just a phase; her parents, their friends, and their relatives all called it a passing chapter in her life she would get over. But it did not pass. Sage was betrothed to a boy in the village and she began to dread their matrimony, to the point where she became ill at the mere thought. And so she took fate into her own hands; Sage gathered a horse and some supplies, left a note for her parents, and left.

Her grand adventure quickly turned into a terrifying mistake as she encountered savage natives, barbaric mad men, and the wild animals of the terrain. It was by pure fortune that she came upon another village at all. But it was there that she met him, Finn Mikaelson. He was tall and had curly brown hair that fell to his shoulders, and he had the wisest eyes she'd ever seen in her lifetime. He was gentle and forgiving, soft spoken, but firm. Truly, if there was a perfect man, Sage had thought Finn Mikaelson to be one. And by some twist of fate, he liked her (loud and brazen, dirty kneed, bad mannered, but beautiful) and they'd fallen in love.

Though there was much more to their story, Sage would oftentimes skim through it and remember the worst parts, if only to feed her hunger for vengeance, to keep her going. After revealing what exactly he was, Finn turned her so that they could be together to walk the ends of the earth until Judgment Day.

But, as it turned out, her time with Finn had just been  _a phase_.

Klaus Mikaelson, Finn's mad younger brother, burst into their lives with an ashen dagger and took her love away from her, leaving Sage bitter and ruthless. She'd vowed revenge and bided her time for centuries. She waited for the right moment, never seeming to catch it.

Until

Until Finn had been brought back from his in-between place and was alive and whole again. Sage sought him out and found him a changed man from the one she'd last seen – but that was okay, for she had evolved as well. Reunited once more, they made took turns making sweet love and rough sex in between sharing the events in their lives they'd missed (mostly hers, but Finn was above all a quiet man and a good listener). It was then that Finn found out his plan had failed and Klaus was once again roaming the earth and most likely terrorizing innocents.

And so they plotted.

* * *

Somehow, Stephanie forced herself to get up off the Grill's dirty floor and stiffly walk out the door; the task of putting one foot in front of the other was arduous but necessary. She felt tired and mentally exhausted and just wanted to sleep. The night was quiet and still except for the nocturnal animals and insects chirping around town; Stephanie would almost call it peaceful except for the fact that it was Mystic Falls.

As she grew nearer and nearer to the Salvatore Boarding House, the impulse to bolt grew stronger, but she fought it. Leaving wouldn't solve any problems. But as her home actually came into view, Stephanie was quickly made aware that something wasn't quite right; despite the time being close to four in the morning, the lights in the living room and foyer were shining brightly. She picked up her pace, concerned, and flashed into the front hall of their home.

Damon was striding towards the door with a scowl that only deepened when he saw her. "I don't have time for your games tonight, Stephanie. Surely Klaus needs his lapdog to keep him warm?" The accusation had Stephanie crossing her arms protectively over her chest and tilting her chin up to stare at Damon in the eyes.

"Klaus'  _lapdog_ went rabid," She retorted dryly.

Her brother slowed and looked back at her, narrowing his eyes speculatively. They were still and silent for several tense moments, until Damon's brows twitched upwards.

"Your humor hasn't improved at all," He deadpanned.

"And  _you_  let the roses in front of the house grow wild," Stephanie responded. "You want the town to think we're boors?"

Damon beamed and without a second's more hesitation, swooped down to scoop her up into a tight hug. Stephanie screeched and batted at Damon's arms, making him drop her to the floor. "Ripper Stephanie doesn't care about the garden; you're back." His grin was slightly maniac.

Nodding swiftly, Stephanie agreed. "I'm back."

"Just in time, too." Damon's demeanor darkened. "Elena and Alaric are both gone and there's a lot you need to be caught up on.

"Let me change," Steph said, secretly glad that Damon hadn't made too much of a fuss, but at the same time wished that he'd had; it was what she deserved, after all, for hurting them so much.

"Team Salvatore is back." She heard him crow as she flew up the stairs and she smiled in response.

Team Salvatore, indeed.

* * *

Klaus compelled his way through hospital security, wasting few thoughts for the stupidity of some people not ingesting vervain on a regular basis, and then found a private room. He blockaded the door and then hooked up the sleeping minor to a few machines and began to draw the blood from her veins, filling up bags upon bags of the life-sustaining substance. He strode to the window and peeked through the blinds, and seeing no one, went back to Elena's bedside. The girl's sleep was by now probably not natural; the amount of blood loss she was sustaining would make any teenage girl pass out into unconsciousness.

Picking up the backpack by the bed he'd brought in preparation, Klaus packed it full of the blood bags already filled. He needed to store some in case of sudden injury or death of the girl; preparation was key. He also had to think of the poor control the newly turned would have; it just wouldn't do to have the doppelgänger die on him before she'd given as much as she could, but if a newborn accidentally killed her, Klaus would like to have some blood put away so he could at least make a few more hybrids.

As if knowing his thoughts, the girl suddenly groaned.

"I think that's enough for now, sweetheart," Klaus murmured and unhooked the machines. He plucked up a syringe full of sedative and stuck Elena with it, sending her into a deeper state of unconsciousness. Klaus pulled on the backpack and hefted the lightweight girl into his arms, escaping through the window rather than hassle with the humans again.

The Mikaelson Mansion was only a hop and skip away, figuratively, and so Klaus immediately headed back there to store his blood. He laid Elena upon the couch, about the only thing not destroyed in the living room, and vanished into the cellar of the house, where he locked up the doppelgänger blood in a refrigerated storage unit that was locked by a code created by Klaus himself.

There was a sudden crash up the stairs.

Klaus' eyes turned gold.

* * *

Bonnie was dreaming of the past when she was rudely awakened by chilled, slender fingers on her bare shoulder. Her eyes flew open and a spell was already half passed her lips as she jack knifed up in her bed to see who her assailant was. Kol was standing at the edge of her bed, an innocent smile on his lips as his eyes roved her mocha colored shoulders and lithe neck.

Bonnie glared. "What the hell, Kol? Why are you even in my bedroom?"

"Oh, I thought I'd just wake you up to gossip and talk about boys," Kol drawled and Bonnie raised a hand in his direction. The Original dropped to the floor, clutching his head in a bruising grip, growling. "There's someone at the door!" He snapped and so Bonnie released the spell. Kol gasped and spluttered for a moment before launching himself at her; only to be felled by an even greater aneurism.

Bonnie jumped out of bed and threw on her robe, running down the stairs to see who on earth was visiting at two in the morning. She heard the exact moment Kol was on his feet again and running after her, curious despite the lashing he'd just gotten. Abby's door was still shut tightly, Bonnie confirmed after a quick cursory glance. She left her mother in peace.

The witch opened her front door to reveal a surprising sight; Damon and Steph Salvatore standing shoulder to shoulder on her porch. Both looked ruffled and sleepless, wearing almost matching leather jackets and boots. Perhaps the most startling was the lack of antagonistic auras around them that had been present for the last several months.

"Can I help you?" Bonnie asked suspiciously.

"Do you realize what time it is?" Kol demanded indignantly and Bonnie took a moment to roll her eyes at him.

"What is he doing here?" Stephanie asked, confused and brows furrowed deeply.

"What are _you_  doing here? Aren't you my brother's girl?" Kol countered sharply.

"We don't have time for this," Damon spoke above them and directly to Bonnie, clearly anxious and aggravated. "Elena and Alaric are gone. Rick left a note, so I'm not that worried about him, but I'm guessing Klaus went back on his word as soon as he released Stephanie of her compulsion and snatched Elena."

"There's no one else interested or that knows enough to kidnap Elena," Steph further explained, "and she went missing almost immediately after Klaus let me go."

Bonnie's face darkened. "When did this happen?"

"Just now, nearly," Damon explained, "I woke up and she was gone. Alaric's cell had been unlocked and he had disappeared too; like I said, he left a note, but he said his cell had been unlocked and thought it was me. We need you to track them down, Judgy."

Bonnie nodded and clenched her fists. "I'll find Elena. But first, I'm going to find a way to get rid of Klaus. Permanently this time."

"How?" Damon demanded scathingly. "Every time you say that, we end up screwed."

"Actually, I have an idea." Every head swiveled to the staircase where Abby Wilson stood in her night clothes. Her face was impassive as they stared at her. "It's extremely dangerous, but I know a spell that will put Klaus down for a long, long time."

Unseen by the others, Kol's eyebrows arched in curiosity even as he ignored a tiny sliver of concern in the back of his mind; no one could take down Klaus, not even Mikael in the end. Abby descended the stairs, her mouth set into a grim line and she focused only on Bonnie.

Bonnie looked at her mother expectantly, but Abby hesitated. "This spell will make you subject to temptation you might not be able to resist. It's dark magic, Bonnie, and I don't suggest it lightly," She warned, "It's hazardous."

"Welcome to Mystic Falls," Damon said sardonically and Stephanie stepped on his toes to quiet him.

"The spell allows you to stop a vampire's heart; the blood will stop flowing and his body will desiccate. But you have to find a balance; you have to stop a human heart to do this, and it cannot be your own," Abby told Bonnie seriously. "Then nothing will wake him besides blood."

Kol twitched. Klaus was a dick, but he was Kol's brother. But they weren't exactly killing him . . . more like putting the hybrid into a prolonged timeout; which, if you asked Kol, Klaus sorely needed.

"What do I need to do the spell?" Bonnie asked grimly and Kol wondered, for just a moment, if she knew how intimidating she looked when determined to protect her friends.

* * *

Elena woke up drowsily to loud voices and cool, gentle hands on her face. She had been laid on a soft and unfamiliar sofa in a large room with cavernous ceilings. Her vision was blurry and she was disoriented, but Elena knew that something wasn't right. "Damon?"

"Your vampire lover isn't here," A raspy feminine voice said into her ear. "But don't worry, we'll return you to him very soon."

Fear crawled up Elena's back at the sound of the unfamiliar woman and she bolted upwards into a sitting position. A chilly hand grabbed her shoulder and forced her back down. Elena struggled and screamed for help, knocking an elbow into the woman's nose. A hand was shoved over Elena's mouth to quiet her and for the first time, Elena realized with a feeling of dread in her gut that they were not alone. She could hear a fight going on in the neighboring room; loud shouts and creaking wood, shattering glass; all the sounds of a rough and tumble vampire brawl.

Elena turned her gaze to the woman holding her captive and glared. The woman was very pretty; she was pale with clear eyes and short red hair, and her lips were pulled into a delicate smirk.

"Now, don't scream," She commanded and lifted the hand off of Elena's mouth, only to bring it to her own. Tearing the skin with her teeth, blood flowed freely. Alarm bells went off in Elena's head and she started her struggle anew, only for the vampire in front of her to roughly shake her body. The vampire shoved her bloody wrist into Elena's mouth.

"No! No, no! I don't want to be vampire!" She screamed. The sounds in the next room immediately quieted and just as the vampire let Elena fall back to the couch, they were joined by Klaus and Finn. Both looked terrible; ripped clothes and bloody hands, messy hair, anger etched onto their faces.

"What did you do?" Klaus demanded.

"We're turning her," Finn said despondently and Elena flinched at the very thought. To think they'd even briefly been on the same side, and then he'd helped orchestrate her death. She'd never wanted to be a vampire, not ever in the time spent with her vampire friends. She saw what it did to them and she didn't want that for herself – Elena didn't know how she would deal with that.

"Why?" Klaus demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" The woman stood but grabbed Elena into her vice grip once more, "It's so you can't make any more hybrids, Klaus."

"Sage," Klaus spat the woman's name out like a curse. "Put the girl down."

"No," Sage growled, "You took away my love for nine hundred years; you didn't think that we wouldn't get you for that?"

Klaus waved an impatient hand. "Finn already got his petty revenge."

"Well, I found out that I wasn't satisfied with your suffering only being a day in a half," Sage snapped.

"And Sage convinced me that I wasn't either," Finn turned towards his brother, "So we decided that you should suffer, Niklaus, for boxing up our family for centuries with no repercussions on your part." He tilted his head to the side in what appeared to be sort of signal, and Sage moved faster than the eye could see.

The last thing Elena heard was Klaus' furious scream of wrath, and then she felt an indescribable pain in her neck.

Then nothing at all.

* * *

The ritual Bonnie performed for the plan to put down Klaus was dark and certainly nothing the witch had ever done before. First, they hunted down a sacrifice from the county jail; Bonnie insisted on the victim being someone guilty of a terrible crime, which none of them disputed. They all felt guilty, but reconciled the idea to themselves by maintaining that when Klaus was dealt with, hundreds if not thousands of lives would be saved. Stephanie's humanity, just so recently returned, flinched and shied away from the thought, and added one more reason to the list of reasons why she was going to go to hell.

They all kept a distance away from the witch while she performed the spell in the quiet of the backyard of the Bennett house; all except for Abby, who talked her daughter through the ritual. Clouds gathered in the night sky and the wind picked up, thunder rumbled and lightening flashed; nature's way of showing its disapproval of its emissary performing dark magic.

The vampires hovered and waited. The victim whimpered, but his suffering was brief and his death occurred simultaneously with a particularly loud clap of thunder. When Bonnie looked back up, her face was haunted and there was shadow in her eyes that had not been there before. Abby touched her daughter's shoulder reassuringly.

Bonnie pulled out a vial and pricked her finger, draining some of her blood into the glass container. She lifted it up and met Stephanie's gaze. "All of you drink some of this; it will connect my power to you so that when I connect again with my magic and perform the spell, all you have to do is place your hand on his heart. If one of you gets an open shot, take it; the others will hold Klaus down. I'll be doing the rest."

She looked at Kol, who was impassive for a rare change. "You'll be on the lookout for anyone in the yard, since you won't be able to fight and that's a liability in this."

"I'm only a liability because you made me one," Kol remarked dryly but was largely ignored.

"Let's find Klaus," Damon said grimly.

* * *

"What have you done?" Klaus asked hollowly, staring at the body of Elena Gilbert and the angel of her neck on her shoulders. Of course, the question was rhetoric, but he needed to hear the words spoken out loud to confirm.

"She's in transition," Sage confirmed with a wry smile, "and you won't be making any more of your little soldiers."

Klaus thought about the blood he'd stored; maybe enough for ten to fifteen hybrids, but no more, and his eyes darted to Sage's self-satisfied smirk. Without any warning, Klaus flashed to her side and stuck his hand into her chest, squeezing her heart with his fingers. He smirked at the utter surprise stamped upon her face and tightened his grip on her heart.

" _No_!" Finn shouted and he started towards them.

"I don't think so, brother," Klaus snapped scathingly and tore out Sage's heart, tossing it into the fireplace. The ginger vampire gasped and began to grey, shriveling up and desiccating on the living room carpet. Finn kneeled by her side, keening and rocking her body back in forth his embrace. While Finn's back was turned, Klaus took one of ashen daggers he always kept for his siblings and stepped up behind his brother's weeping form.

"We'll see how you feel about me in another nine centuries, Finn," Klaus murmured and his brother turned just in time to receive a dagger to the heart. The betrayal on his features stayed etched on his face as the vampire greyed just as his partner had, though his death would only be temporary. The coffins were still in the mansion, so Klaus hefted up Finn's body to transport him into one.

There was loud and ominous sound in the foyer; the sharp cracking of a door being thrown open and bouncing off the wall.

Klaus cursed as the Bennett witch strode into his living room, hands raised and eyes dark with promised retribution. Flanking her were Damon and the witch's mother, and behind them Stephanie. His youngest brother was conspicuously absent.

"Well, isn't this a happy little reunion? I'll get the drinks." Klaus waved a hand grandly whiling pulling a wide, plastic smirk. His eyes tracked the movements of his new guests, and Klaus could tell the exact moment Damon found Elena's body on the couch; the Salvatore's icy eyes widened and he flashed to her side. "Yeah, that bit wasn't me. Sage and Finn decided that in order to fully give me my comeuppance, they needed to get rid of my blood supply for any new hybrids. As you can see, they got what they deserved."

"She's in transition," Damon said disbelievingly.

Bonnie's lips compressed into a fine line and she raised her hands. A sharp pain flared in Klaus' skull, making him drop Finn's daggered body to the floor, while he grabbed his head with his hands. She started to chant Latin and the very air of the mansion became stale and the foundations seemed to tremble. A familiar pale hand was placed over his heart and two sets of strong arms pulled his shoulders back and held him into place. Klaus blinked through the blinding pain that was assaulting his chest, burning him and making him gasp and choke.

His eyes met Stephanie's cold, hard green ones and felt fingers of remorse grip him.

"You should have our town alone," Stephanie told him quietly. "You should have never come back to Mystic Falls."

"Well, I had to, didn't I?" Klaus laughed derisively. "Had to break the curse and get the girl."

"I'm not a prize to be won, and you had to kill four people to break that curse," Stephanie countered.

"At least I don't lie about what I am," Klaus didn't mince his words. "I'm a monster, but so are you love. A beautiful, reckless vampire who is poetry in motion when she hunts."

"I  _really_  don't give a damn about what you think about my sister right now," Damon was suddenly hissing into his ear. "So shut your mouth, Klaus. You just killed my girlfriend, so excuse me while I don't give two shits about your romantic problems with Steph. Bonnie!" The pain in his chest became just about unbearable and Stephanie's fingers felt like claws sinking into his heart. Slowly, he felt his body begin to fail him.

"This . . . this is impossible," Klaus breathed, but he could see with his very own eyes that his body was beginning to grey with decay. He was . . . dying. "You can't kill me."

"No, but we can make sure you're out of the way and no one can find you but us," Stephanie said coldly. "And believe me, Klaus; you will never see the light of day again."

"Elijah or Rebekah will find me," He snapped but his voice cracked as the greyness crawled up his body.

"Not this time," Her mouth said, but her eyes softened just so. They were such an intense shade and communicated so much through just a glance; while she spoke of hatred and grudges, her eyes told him something different.

The world around him began to mute; his vision became vastly poorer and his hearing was nearly gone, but then everything . . . stopped. Panic rose in Klaus; would he be conscious during his imprisonment? Would he be awake in his half-dead body for the rest of eternity? Surely this wasn't how his siblings had felt when they were in their dagger induced sleep. They'd seemed peaceful almost; this was hell on earth.

Everyone sounded like they were whispering and they looked like shadows as they moved around, burning Sage's body and releasing Finn. Three shadows joined Elena by the couch, maybe kneeling, and the whispering continued until rough hands jerked up Klaus' useless body. He lost a little bit of time and became aware again in a silk lined coffin, Finn's blurry face hovering over his.

"I hope you rot, Niklaus," Finn growled and Klaus vaguely wondered what else he was supposed to do. Light disappeared and Klaus let his despair and bitterness overcome him.

* * *

There was an early morning Council Meeting at 5:30, and Liz Forbes had to drag herself out of bed and tiptoe past her daughter's bedroom, where one of her vampire friends had stayed the night. Liz put on her Sheriff gear and had a cup of coffee before heading over to the Lockwood's, where the meeting would be held that morning. She frowned, thinking about it. At 4:30 she'd gotten a call from Alaric Saltzman of all people, who wanted the entire Council to gather so he could unveil some very important news.

Carol answered the door, looking disquieted. "Come on it, Liz."

"What's so urgent that it needs to be addressed at this hour?" Liz asked with furrowed brows.

"I don't know." Carol pressed her lips together tightly and they walked into the living room together, shoulder to shoulder.

"Join us, Sheriff," Alaric Saltzman said, arms crossed. He stood in the center of the room, the rest of the Council members gathered around him. "I was just telling the Council about our vampire problem. Or should I say your problem."

"What are you doing?" Liz demanded. Alaric had been cleared of all charges on account of Meredith's testimony, but she knew that there was something wrong with him – something different and unsettling. It frightened her a little.

"Perhaps you and the Mayor could enlighten the group," Alaric said, "on the strides you've taken to eliminate the problem. Oh that's right, you've haven't." He was smug as he addressed the shocked Council members. "You see, the Sheriff you've elected to keep your town, your children, everyone secure from the supernatural, has a  _vampire_  for a daughter."

Liz felt her drop jaw and the other members immediately began to buzz with surprise and accusations. Several betrayed glances were thrown in her direction.

Alaric wasn't finished. "And our lovely mayor, whose son is half vampire, half werewolf."

"Why are you doing this?" Carol demanded, taking the words straight out of Liz's mouth.

"These ladies, you see, are hypocrites," Alaric ignored their plights and continued to address the other people in the room, "They claim to spearhead the attack on the supernatural presence in our town, and yet cover up the attacks committed by their children."

"That's enough," Liz interrupted, "We're done here."

"Sit down, Liz. We're just getting started," Alaric grinned. "I'm getting this town back under control, Sheriff. Mayor." Liz and Carol exchanged glances and reluctantly sat down next to each other as Alaric began to lay out his plan to get rid of all the supernatural creatures in Mystic Falls.

* * *

Stephanie hovered on the fringes of their group that had settled at the Gilbert home. Finn had left right after Klaus' body had been locked up tight in a garage under Damon's name; Finn was ready to grieve his love for real this time and to do that, he needed out of Mystic Falls. Elena had been laid up in her bed, while Damon sat with her with baited breath. Bonnie had taken Abby and Kol to her house at the promise that Damon would call as soon as Elena woke and she would set about making her a daylight ring the next day. She was tired from magic she'd performed, nearly dead on her feet, so no one had pressed her. Caroline and Lexi had been called and were on their way over immediately, and Matt had been notified of the night's events and would be over when it was safe.

This left Stephanie alone, and so she stewed in her own guilt.

"I need to call Alaric." She looked up to see Damon standing behind her with dark rings beneath his tired eyes. "Stay with Elena for me?" He was haggard and upset.

"Sure," She nodded stiffly and brushed passed her brother while he dialed his best friend. Stephanie nearly glided up the stairs and avoided looking at Jeremy's room when she passed it; that was a can of worms she'd rather not open yet. Her feelings were all over the place and she felt so stretched thin that she wasn't entirely sure she could handle the emotional upheaval that would come from thinking about Elena's little brother.

In her bed, Elena looked pale and was still not awake, even though the sun was about to rise very soon. Steph's fingers crawled up to the daylight ring on the chain around her neck and clutched it. She'd had a half thought out idea she'd been debating since she'd been freed of Klaus and it was an entirely selfish idea, for certain, but it wouldn't go away.

Fondling the ring for a few more seconds, Stephanie made her decision. She took off the chain around her neck and then the ring from the chain. Steph grabbed Elena's cold right hand and slipped the lapis lazuli ring onto her third finger and dropped the silver chain onto the nightstand. Turning, she headed back down the stairs and passed Damon, who was looking terribly frustrated at his phone. Just as she walked out the door, it rang and she heard Liz on the other end, frantic.

The desire to stay and listen was outweighed by her need to get to the quarry before the sun rose and everyone realized she was gone, and so Stephanie quickly disappeared. The quarry was the place where she'd been reborn and so it would be the place where she would die for her many sins.

.

.

.

"What do you mean Alaric's ousted us to the Council?" Caroline demanded shrilly.

"Did I stutter?" Damon demanded. "Yes, apparently somebody let Rick out of his cell – probably Klaus, the dick – he missed his dose of witchy juju, and his evil alter ego has the reins. He took over the Council and now your mom wants you to get out of town while you can." He spied Tyler and Lexi sitting at the kitchen table and added, "You too, wolf boy. Your mom wants you to stop by her place first though, so she can give you some cash."

"But we can't just leave!" Caroline protested. "Elena needs us! All of us! We'll just, just do something about Rick."

"Like what?" Damon asked sarcastically. "Shove the herbs down his throat? Arrest him? Kill him?"

"Something, anything!" Caroline snapped. "He's your best friend and now he's got a vendetta against all of us."

"I don't know what to do, Caroline," Damon said darkly. "How are we supposed to catch him if he's got the entire Council on the watch for vampires?"

"Everyone just needs to calm down," Lexi intervened, "because we can't go anywhere until Elena wakes up anyway." She shot Caroline and Matt a look. "But maybe  _you and Tyler_ should go, like your moms' said to. That way you'll be safe and there will be too less supernaturals to worry about the Council killing."

"I'm not going until I know Elena is okay," Caroline said belligerently.

"Fine, then that's your choice," Lexi said before Damon could say something scathing. "For now, we just need to stay here, take care of Elena, and then worry about the Council after she's alright, either way. The Council won't act against us right away; they'll take care of planning and tying of loose ends like human sympathizers that they know of."

At Tyler and Caroline's alarmed looked, Lexi hastened to add, "Like firing them. They won't kill your parents."

"Where's Stephanie?" Damon asked suddenly, alarmed. The group paused. "I'll check upstairs." He flashed to Elena's room, extending his senses, but came up with nothing. Something flashed and Damon's eyes instinctively went to the light; there on Elena's finger was Stephanie's daylight ring.

"Damn it all to hell," He cursed and snatched up the ring and then hurried down the stairs. "Somebody watch Elena; I've got to go find Stephanie before the sun rises." The group looked up at him with startled faces.

"What?"

Damon flashed them her ring and then headed out quickly. Let them sort out their issues; he could see the sun on the horizon and he knew just where she would have gone.

He went to the quarry and found her standing there, absolutely still as the sun began to creep upwards. He felt fear growing in his gut.

"Come on, now, let's not be melodramatic," Damon drawled instead of expressing that fear. "You don't really want to die."

"I do deserve it, though," She responded softly.

"Well, I think all vampires probably deserve to die," Damon dismissed, "I mean, obviously we did at least once to become what we are. Then we started to feed and – most of us – started to kill. And it feels good, for sure," He warned her, "Excuse me for this heartfelt moment, because it won't be happening again, but killing isn't all that we're good for," Damon continued. "We can help people, which you do, or did. We can get rid of hurts and sicknesses; go to school and learn how to cure cancer, I don't know."

"I should have let myself die in 1864," Stephanie turned around and looked at him with dead eyes, seemingly have not heard him at all. "You too."

"Probably," Damon shrugged. "But you didn't, and so we have to live with that choice. Dying now won't change what's happened in the past, Steph. Come back to the house with me and help me help Elena through this. We've got the Council on our ass and my  _best friend_  is the reason why. Our friends miss you." He paused. "And I miss you too and wouldn't know what I would do if you weren't here."

"But I can't control myself!" Stephanie snapped, "I'm a liability and will bring the Council to our door."

"They're already there, and I would appreciate the help to make them back down," Damon countered. "Come on, Steph."

"You don't understand, Damon," Stephanie cried, "It hurts me. It hurts me knowing what I've done, and that pain is with me all the time! Every day, I would think if I give myself over to the blood, I could make that pain stop. And so sometimes, I give in and then everything is shot to hell and I kill more people and the cycle starts all over again, Damon. I want it to end."

Damon strode over to his sister and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Listen to me, Stephanie. Whenever you go too far, I will be there to pull you back; every second, every day – till you don't need me; cause you're the only family I got and I love you. So put your ring back on and get your ass back to the house with me." The sun's rays were peeking over the trees and Damon could see Stephanie becoming uncomfortable with its proximity. The siblings stared at each other as Damon retrieved the ring and held it out to her. "If you don't put this on, I will shove it onto your finger."

Finally, slowly – ever so slowly – Steph reached out and took her ring back, sliding it onto her finger. No more words were exchanged and the sun's rays finally washed over them. Together, they walked back to the house and responsibilities and the trouble waiting for them.

.

.

.

**tbc.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you will continue to read this series! "Timshel" should be up within a couple of weeks.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any quotes used/borrowed.
> 
> Warnings: I changed the desiccation spell a little bit, so it's not exactly the same as it is in cannon. Also, the chapter is still mildly shorter than average, but hopefully just as enjoyable.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Julie Plec has had an interview about the topic (of blood sharing between vampires): ["That's a little bit of a shout-out to the books, but also just to vampire folklore in general. If you look at any of it metaphorically, it's a very intimate exchange of bodily fluids. So you can read into that what you will," she says. So is it fair to equate it to vampire sex, or should we not go that far? "Well, it's like vampire naked cuddling," Plec says, laughing. Does it come with any side effects? "No," she says. "Elena doesn't know what she's doing, but Damon damn well knows what she's doing. That's really Stefan's point: It meant something to him, which means it means something to me."]
> 
> In the original books by L.J. Smith, blood sharing really equates to 'vampire sex' as the interviewer asked.
> 
> I just wanted to clear that up.


End file.
